Every man has its own way of coping with loss of loved ones. Some may constantly cry, some other collect some memorable things to cherish sweet and warm memories. Ernest is a heartbroken man, who seems to not want to get rid of an old, broken TV due to his dearest wife’s last dying wish.…

Despite being a short film, STATIC delivers some remarkable concepts that will make you think afterwards. It tells the story of an old man, whose extremely close relationship with his TV gives him a chance at redemption when he finally finds it possible to fulfil his wife’s wish. The scene of “bleeding” TV brings flashback scenes, where Ernest with his late wife, try to “fix” things, rather than replacing it.

One of the touching scene is when their beloved puppy is in agony, bleeding, and about to die. The couple looked at the vet, asks, whether they can save their dog’s life. Also, the word “fix” you will hear in this film more than a few times, that actually has a much deeper meaning than you can imagine. When Billy, Ernest’s son comes home with new TV, Ernest yells at him, saying, “why won’t we just fix it?” By fixing TV, Ernest does not mean to repair his faithful TV, but rather, not to focus attention on something else, while there is something more important that requires to be looked into first.

STATIC, co-written and directed by Tanya Lemke is somewhat an educational film, where you see how one man holds on to his TV as the last chance to reconnect with his wife. While each scene has its precise explanation, it shows how sometimes an old memory is much sweater than a new one. Even when the cooking show host from the inside of TV asks Ernest to punch him, he stops for a second, realizing that by doing that, he will break the last connection with his wife.

In conclusion, Lemke’s film is worth seeing, not just because of Yannick Bisson or Kristian Bruun’s appearance, but because of the story itself that will touch you deeply. The fifteen minutes of time that you will dedicate to watch STATIC may not hold on you, still the way it happens with Ernest and his TV, however, you will find yourself attached to the story, as it is  truly compelling, sad, and relevant for anyone who ever was in Ernest’s shoes.