The Wait of Stones [Dave Huber, USA, 2019]

A simple but effective short film from director Dave Huber, The Wait of Stones tells the story of a man who goes for a hike in the woods and ends up reliving a particularly painful moment in his life.

The film is almost completely silent throughout the majority of its run time, with only the ambient sounds of nature such as babbling brook of the wind shaking tree branches making up the film’s soundscape. It’s an effective way of capturing the typical quiet solitude of a hike and it is quite immersive in this way. When a musical score does kick in for the film’s final scene, its all the more effective for its absence.

At first, the film’s imagery is somewhat vague and seems ripe for interpretation. However, as The Wait of Stones goes on a singular central theme goes emerge, that of loss and grief. Although it is a shame to lose the apparent thematic flexibility of the earlier scenes, this theme appears to be somewhat personal to Huber and, in the film’s final scene in particular, it is explored in a rather touching manner.

The conclusion The Wait of Stones comes to about its theme is that grief, if left repressed, will eventually come back to haunt you in traumatic ways. It’s a sombre if truthful note to end the film on.

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‘The Wait of Stones’ was a film in consideration for Short Focus Film Festival 2019.