Naive Mr. Young is strapped to the hot seat in a very controlled political environment that imposes some outrageous sanctions on people’s lives. During an encounter with an administrator while applying for a love & sex permit, he finds himself increasingly on guard, becoming tangled in red tape and incriminating words.
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"The Love Permit is a smart, innovative short film by director Christopher Ludgate. I find it rare thaT A short film leaves you with a message. Keeps you thinking. This is one of them.
Mr. Young (Scott Key, a man in love, goes to get a “Love and Sex permit” so he can be with his partner. But as he appeals to the “Administrator” (Russell Saylor) for the permission it soon becomes clear that it’s gonna be a struggle. The film isn’t set in a world we know, but rather a world we all believe could exist...; in fact many people live in such a society such as this where basic freedoms are restricted.
Set in a few simple locations (three) the “permit office”, which looks and feels like a large, beautiful bank (almost like a train station), is an isolated location which leads itself well to a desolate government-run agency for issuing such permits, for those (the few) that dare. The Administrator isn’t going to cough over a permit over easily. But Mr. Young is naïve and in love. He doesn’t realize how things work around him. But passion is contagious. It’s easy to see that his “love” for another is strong. And he’s willing to stand up for it. Is there any way he can fight and win the battle?
The film starts quite simply with a man (Mr. Young) receiving a text from his loved one. He builds the confidence to go after the permit he needs to follow through with what he already has and feels (love- and possibly sex). Wearing a suit and looking professional, he leaves his apartment which is under surveillance from a video camera. In fact, it seems that almost everything is being “monitored” in this make-believe world. The world feels futuristic, but at the same time most of us will recognize it from works such as “1984”.
It’s funny, interesting, realistic. Seeing Mr. Young “breaking the rules” is enjoyable. Especially when the film is so well crafted. The strict world he lives in feels real, his quest for the “love” permit is applaudable and easily accepted by the audience, almost everyone can understand where he is coming from. The locations work in the film’s favour. As mentioned earlier, the “permit office” is massive, daunting and cold. Like being in a train station alone. It’s almost scary...Unless you have a mission like Mr. Young. With great dialogue and excellent acting from the two actors, The Love Permit is a strong short film that has been shown in many film festivals thus far- and deserves the recognition.
-James Dubbeldam, Rogue Cinema
"Great art illuminates the human condition, whether through a dance, play, poem, music, photograph, visual art or film. Cinema Diverse’s opening night short film accomplished this with perfection. The compelling story with thorough and three-dimensional characters were brought to life, undisturbed by flawless direction, cinematography, direction and editing. The Love Permit by filmmaker Christopher Ludgate presents a world gone amuck through bureaucracy. Comparisons to Dostoevsky and Kafka come to mind."
-Ann Greer, Palm Springs Life
"The story engages the viewer in Kafka-esque vision and mood in a clever manner...moves from the kafka drama to a more soci-political concept that will be of interest to many...The cinematography in the film and choice of camera angles by the film maker were very effective... Production was well done throughout the film....acting was strong. The film created the necessary intrigue to keep the viewer hooked."
-Cleveland Film Festival
"The filmmaker made the low budget and minimal locations work for him, not always an easy thing to do. A lot of the power of the film comes from the imposing nature of the decor which by necessity locks in your mise en scene. This leads to a surprisingly human connection between the two actors… Russell Saylor is excellent as a character who lives within a world of coping with moral compromising each and every working day of his life. The Love Permit is one of the few shorts I wished was actually longer. Definitely a worthy film. "
-Michael McGonigle, Philadelphia Museum of Art Film Lecturer, QFest Juror
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