‘Boost’ presents the story of two brothers raised in a foster house, both of them with a passion for sports and both of them working on each other’s career. Pretty Ricky, played by Ricardo Smith, looks like the perfect boxing trainer, the one that cares more about the boxer than he does about himself. The other one, Chris, played by Brad Watts, who is also the director, is the boxer, the face of the whole operation, the one that has to do all the hard work. They are both blessed to have each other in a world where it is hard to find someone to trust. When Chris takes a wrong decision, his brother is there to help him, but things are escalating way too fast, and the whole bond becomes more of a curse.

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’Boost’ starts on a high note, delivering an interesting story, with a typical development, but it rushes to find an end way too soon. The story flies in six minutes, without having closure or sweet spots. The inspirational quotes in the midst of the action fade faster than we could imagine. For example, when Pretty Ricky finds out the secret of his brother, he is shocked for a couple of moments, and then, in a split second, he comes back to his normal state, like nothing happened. Or another one, when the ending scene begins with Ricky taking matters into his own hands, and ends with him quoting something his brother said, without being disturbed by the fact that he is arrested right then and there.

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Personally, the short seems a little bit rough with sharp edges. Some extra editing would have been nice in the sound section, as the sound effects are overly exaggerated at some points, especially in regards to the fight in the end, or when there is a close-up on Chris’ opponent in the boxing ring.

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‘Boost’ has a lot of potential because of its motivational underlay, but better highlighting is needed; in its current state, the message is not as clear as it should, though we feel it can definitely get polished to perfection.

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Written by Sebastian Rodriguez