Line #22 Film/HighAndTight


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ht272.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:"This is my life! Let me do something good with it."]]
3	->''"You spend your whole life wondering why am I even here? Then one day you wake up and you know..."''
4	-->-- '''Scott Olsen'''
5
6	''High & Tight'' is a 2018 Irish ShortFilm produced by ''No [=WiFi=] Productions'' and directed by Creator/BobbyCalloway.
7
8	Set TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, a war has broken out in Eastern Europe. Ireland has been known for neutrality ever since the 1940s, but [[NeutralNoLonger guess what happens]]. Now hundreds of young men and women enlist every year. The film follows four soldiers in their final days before they head off to war.
9
10	* '''Scott Olsen''': An Irish-American immigrant who's also an orphan. He joins because he wants to "do something good" with his life. His older brother Shane is not happy.
11	* '''Ryan Hayes''': An English immigrant who was previously a goofball but wants to be taken seriously. His family don't think he can do it.
12	* '''Vinnie Sikes''': An Irish local who has always talked about doing something, but never actually done anything with his life until now - creating conflict with his girlfriend Becky.
13	* '''Sara Harvey''': An Irish woman who wants to join just because.
14
15	The film is book ended by Scott's younger brother Seth making a documentary about the whole situation. The trailer can be seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2qopxfCmns here]], and a Q&A with the cast [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E583ucirDiw here]].
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17	The film was released [[https://youtu.be/8leHoWiqOO0 here]] on August 10th 2018.
18
19	!!Tropes:
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21	* ActionGirl: Sara is a soldier who has passed basic training at least.
22	* AffectionateNickname: Shane calls his brother 'Scotty'. Seth notably doesn't.
23	* AlliterativeFamily: Each Olsen sibling has a name starting with S.
24	* AmbiguouslyBrown: Ryan has very dark features, slightly tanned skin and green eyes. His actor Thomas Fitzgerald is Irish with some English and Italian roots.
25	* BigApplesauce: The Olsen family are New Yorkers on the father's side. Shane still has a very obvious "noo yawk" accent.
26	* BigBrotherInstinct: Shane of course for Scott - not wanting him to die.
27	* BigLittleBrother: Seth towers over Scott when they hug goodbye.
28	* BingeMontage: The party evolves into one of these.
29	* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: The four protagonists head off to war, with their fates uncertain. But Shane has accepted Scott's decision and seemingly Becky with Vinnie - so they will at least have the love of their friends and family]].
30	* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: Male example. There's Vinnie as a blond, Ryan as a brunet and Scott as light brown substituting redhead.
31	* BloodKnight: Vinnie rather bluntly says "I just want to blow shit up" in his interview.
32	* BrooklynRage: Shane definitely gets very angry when he finds out Scott wants to enlist.
33	* BrutalHonesty: Sara's raison d'etre is to tell it like she sees it, without sugar coating things.
34	* CallBack: There's a photo of Shane on Scott's windowsill shown early on. [[spoiler: Near the end Shane sees that Scott has taken it out of the frame, implying he's taking it with him to war]].
35	* CameraFiend: Seth at the Halloween party.
36	* ComingOfAgeStory: The late bloomer type, as Scott is in his twenties.
37	* ConfessionCam: Every character gets one in Seth's documentary.
38	* ConvenientlyAnOrphan: The parents not being around is implied to be part of Scott's motivation to enlist.
39	* DeathSeeker: Vinnie possibly. At least Becky worries that he might be one.
40	* TheDutifulSon: Shane is keeping the family together and making sure everyone is supported.
41	* EmotionlessGirl: Seth is a male example, though he was [[GenderFlip meant to be a girl originally]].
42	* AFatherToHisMen: Scott seems like he's on his way to becoming this.
43	* FauxDocumentary: Seth is making one in-universe.
44	* FiveTokenBand: We have the Olsens as Americans, Vinnie and Sara are Irish, Ryan is AmbiguouslyBrown English and Becky is Venezuelan.
45	* {{Foreshadowing}}: All the costumes the boys wear at Halloween are combat related - Scott is a Power Ranger, Vinnie is a Ninja Turtle, Ryan is a gladiator.
46	* FourPhilosophyEnsemble:
47	** Vinnie is The Cynic.
48	** Scott is The Optimist.
49	** Ryan is The Realist.
50	** Sara is The Apathetic.
51	** Meanwhile both Becky and Seth have elements of The Conflicted.
52	* TheFriendsWhoNeverHang: Sara only ever has scenes with Scott or Shane, and none with the other soldiers she's heading off with. This mostly because her actress couldn't be there on the same day.
53	* TheGlomp: [[spoiler: Shane to Scott right before he leaves]].
54	* GoodIsNotNice: Sara is blunt and brutally honest but does care about her friends.
55	* HalloweenCosplay:
56	** Scott wears a [[Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers Blue Power Ranger]] costume.
57	** Vinnie is wearing a [[Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles Raphael turtle costume]].
58	* HappierHomeMovie: The film opens with Seth's recordings of a Halloween party - establishing the friendships.
59	* TheHeart: Essentially Scott's function in the family and the rest of the protagonists.
60	* HeroismMotivationSpeech: Scott's final interview is one of these, talking about how he wants to look ahead to what he's moving toward.
61	* HidingBehindYourBangs: Seth wears his hair like this, showing his detachment from the others. Older photos show him wearing it off his face.
62	* HypocriticalHumour: In the party scenes Ryan says "of course Vinnie's looking for more drink" and then is later seen passed out on the table.
63	* IJustWantToBeSpecial: This is the motivation for all four of the soldier protagonists. Sara in particular.
64	* IWillWaitForYou: [[spoiler: Becky initially breaks it off with Vinnie, saying she can't deal with it. But she returns to him right before he leaves, implying she will]].
65	* InelegantBlubbering: [[spoiler: Scott pretty much collapses crying the evening before they're to head off]].
66	* IsntItIronic: Becky leads the friends in singing "Stand By Me", considering she ''won't'' do so after all.
67	* JitterCam: In some of the bits that Seth filmed himself.
68	* LadyInRed: Becky notably has her red hood up over her head while Vinnie is flirting with her.
69	* LetsGetDangerous: Ryan is a goofball in the party scenes, but has matured and buckled down by the end of the film.
70	* LettingHerHairDown:
71	** Done the other way around with Becky. In the flashbacks and home movies her hair is down. When we see her arguing with Vinnie, it's worn partially up.
72	** Played straight with Sara who wears it up for every scene except the ones where she shows vulnerability.
73	* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: Despite what she's about to go through, Sara is relatively upbeat and accepting of her situation (Light Feminine). Becky is more conflicted and angsts about everything (Dark Feminine).
74	* LotusPosition: Sara and Scott are in this position during their talk.
75	* ManlyTears: [[spoiler: Shane when he hugs Scott goodbye]].
76	* MaybeEverAfter: [[spoiler: The last we see of Becky, she and Vinnie look like they might be patching things up. But it's not confirmed]].
77	* MiddleChildSyndrome: Scott is sandwiched between Shane who "keeps the lights on", and Seth who is implied to be a ChildProdigy.
78	* MoralityPet: Ryan for everyone else. He's seen comforting both Scott and Vinnie on the final night.
79	* TheNotLoveInterest: Sara functions as this to Scott. She's the only character he goes to for guidance.
80	* NotSoStoic: [[spoiler: Sara's confidence falters on the final evening before they go to war]].
81	* OohMeAccentsSlipping:
82	** Bobby Calloway slips out of his American accent as he says "let me do something good with it".
83	** Paul Sparkes likewise during his "Scotty's a good kid" speech.
84	** Robert Madden whenever he has to say the word 'thought'.
85	** Thomas Fitzgerald reverts to an Irish accent for "we're all here as well".
86	* PlotParallel: Becky's tension with Vinnie parallels Shane's with Scott. [[spoiler: The latter gets a more direct resolution]].
87	* PromotionToParent: Shane appears to be parenting Seth after the parents' death. He seems to want to parent Scott as well.
88	* ShipperOnDeck: Ryan judging by his reaction to [[spoiler: Vinnie and Becky seemingly making things up]].
89	* ShoutOut: Scott has a ''Series/BandOfBrothers'' painting on his wall, and several prints can be seen in the background.
90	* SoProudOfYou: [[spoiler: Ryan reveals his father said this to him before they left]].
91	* StepfordSnarker: Vinnie's snarking hides his loneliness.
92	* SuccessfulSiblingSyndrome: It's suggested that Scott resents Shane's success at keeping the family together.
93	* TeamMom: Sara hints that she's this.
94	--> "Can't let those idiots go off on their own. They'd be lost without me."
95	* TrainingMontage: One showing the protagonists getting into shape, with the "Get On Back Home" cadence playing in the background.
96	* TrueCompanions: Scott clearly cares about each of his friends, and the feeling is mutual.
97	* VagueAge:
98	** Sara is a bit older than the boys, seemingly knowing the family through Shane. But is clearly younger than him.
99	** Shane too is implied to be somewhere from his late twenties to late thirties.
100	* WiseBeyondTheirYears: Seth is very aware of what's going on around him and more accepting of the situation than Shane.

Context Film / HighAndTight