Stutterer

Stutterer (2015) is Benjamin Cleary's short drama, and you can watch it online on iFILM. Thirteen minutes hold an entire inner life. Greenwood sets type for a living, and inside his head the sentences flow like poetry — but the moment he opens his mouth, the words jam. He has a severe stutter.

For six months he's been texting a woman online, where the stammer simply doesn't exist. Now she wants to meet in person. For him that's less a date than a cliff edge: he'll finally have to show a stranger the thing he's spent years hiding behind a screen. Matthew Needham carries almost the whole film on one face and a voiceover, and it's more than enough.

This tiny Irish piece quietly took home the Oscar for Best Live Action Short at the 2016 ceremony, surprising just about everyone. A hushed, precise, deeply felt story about the fear of being heard. Stream Stutterer (2015) online on iFILM.