Meeting new people is never easy or simple. In the case of Late Bloomer, this process is not only daunting but sometimes even ends up in utter failure. In a matter of only five minutes, this short film jumps headfirst into the subject of finding intimate relationships out of thin air. However, unlike most Hollywood cliche romantic flicks, Late Bloomer takes a very somber, although hilarious, approach.
The film opens up with an apartment where two people, Selma and Kane, played by Erin Fleming and Merrell Molly, are waking up. The film quickly showcases the fact that they only recently met at a funeral and immediately after that hooked up. Now, in the aftermath of the same fling, they are both awake and presumably sober, which allows the harsh reality to set in for both of them.
Directed by Robert Murphy, Late Bloomer is incredibly fun and engaging for a work of art that is barely five minutes long. Even as a short film, it managed to capitalize on the chemistry between the characters, especially that notion of both Kane and Selma feeling that the thing that they had is close to something tangible and long-lasting, but at the same time, it's just not there. Of course, Kane is more than happy and willing to keep it in the same space, but the prospect of that happening seems very slim. In this setup, Molly does a great job in particular, making his character thread a fine line between being desperate and charming, all the while providing a great sense for comedic timing.
Sharp and witty, Late Bloomer once more shows that a good cast and a wholesome script that avoids both overreaching and underdelivering is a great formula for a compact cinematic work of art. Using that approach, it paints a picture of interpersonal relationships that is very modern and speaks of our contemporary world, but at the same time provides a timeless snapshot of an encounter. This encounter might end as Henry Longfellow's poem describes it, ships passing in the night, but that being said, the same fictional night still provided us with a fantastic short film.
With so much going for it, it’s no wonder that the title has already received critical acclaim. The film won the Best Micro Film award at Cal Film Festival 2025, along with other recognitions. You can watch the entire Late Bloomer right here - if you like it, don’t forget to share it with your film-loving friends as well!
