'Them That's Not' Review: Sound, Silence, and Unspoken Family Ties
- Elliot Lines
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
By Elliot Lines - January 21, 2025
Short films live or die by how quickly they pull you into their world, and Them That’s Not wastes no time doing exactly that. Director Mekhai Lee delivers a quiet, emotionally grounded piece that centres on perspective, communication, and the unspoken weight carried between family members. Rather than relying on exposition, the film places you directly inside its lead character’s experience, letting atmosphere and performance do the heavy lifting.
From the start, what really hits is the use of sound to create the atmosphere. Rather than telling you how lead character Drea sees the world, it puts you right into her shoes. Through muffled audio, echoed ringing, and a cluster of overlapping voices, this clever choice by Lee offers a deep look into Drea’s point of view. Her communication with family members isn’t fluid, relying on a mixture of sign language and the expectation that she can lip read. This makes her a quiet soul, someone who keeps out of the way and to herself, even as she attends the gathering to pay respects to her Grandma.
The story evolves when Samuel arrives, accompanied by a prison warden and given day release to attend the gathering and see his distant daughter. This is someone Drea has lived her entire life without, and she avoids him strategically in these moments. Samuel, however, is a man full of remorse and regret, and their non-relationship adds emotional weight to each shared scene, ultimately leading towards a reconciliation of sorts.
By the time Them That’s Not reaches its final moments, it’s clear that this is a film more interested in emotional honesty than neat resolution. The reconciliation between Drea and Samuel isn’t presented as a fix-all, but as a fragile step forward, built on acknowledgment rather than forgiveness alone. Lee’s restrained direction, paired with the thoughtful use of sound and silence, ensures that Drea’s voice is felt even when she isn’t speaking. It’s a short film that lingers, not because of dramatic spectacle, but because of how human and quietly affecting it chooses to be.
'Them that's Not' won the Gold Hugo award for Best Live Action Short at the 2025 Chicago International Film Festival. The film has also been selected to the 2026 SXSW Film Festival.
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