The Empty Hours

Fernandez is astute in the way he fills the empty hours on screen. He sets a slow steady rhythm and embraces lingering shots and long silences to catch the way the days are lazy about unfolding, especially for Sebastian.

The movie has a small story but a big theme; the theme being experience, and it conveys the emotions and moods of its characters by taking things nice and slow.

This second feature by the Mexican director Aarón Fernández is a delight.

It stays with you in ways you'd hardly expect from a deceptively simple tale of a boy coming face-to-face with career-driven independence - and all the responsibilities that come with it.