East of Kensington

East of Kensington is a short film written and directed by Kellen Moore inspired by J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan. Released in 2012, it offers a new look at the boy who never grew up.

Plot

The Darlings have just returned from their adventures in Neverland, and they are welcomed by their mother with open arms. Left behind in Neverland is the boy who taught them how to fly, Peter Pan (played by Jack Griffo), and his band of Lost Boys.

Many years pass, and Peter Pan and his Lost Boys are still having their adventures in Neverland, but Peter is haunted by the ghost of Wendy Darling. He decides to return to London and promises his Lost Boys that their mother, Wendy, will come back. However, something is amiss when he arrives to the Darling household: it is in shambles, and worse, there is no sign of Wendy.

Upon this revelation, Peter is captured by a mysterious stranger, and the events that follow force the boy who never grew up to face reality.

Overall

East of Kensington offers a new twist on the classic tale of Peter Pan. The original story by J.M. Barrie holds darker elements that often go ignored by adaptations like Disney's Peter Pan or even P.J. Hogan's Peter Pan; however, Moore created an alternate future and focused on the story's darker undertones and made them even darker. I was pleasantly surprised with the darker elements that Moore incorporated into his screenplay and scriptwriting.

Of course, many of the elements he incorporated differed from the original story, but Moore made it work in such a way that I truly believed that the tragedies that befell the Darlings could have actually happened in the original. Rather than going for the expected happy ending or hero's victory, Moore offered a more ambiguous ending that allows viewers to interpret the fate of Peter Pan, and by extension, Neverland and all it represents: childhood and youth.

Based on the short, I'd have to guess that the boy who never grew up was forced to step into adulthood. His eyes were opened to the consequences of his adventures with the Darlings, and thus, his mind became too heavy to allow him to fly and return to Neverland. It's not the happy ending we'd wish for our favorite pirate fighting boy, but it's certainly a refreshing take on the character and his story.

In addition to the darker elements and less than happy ending, I found the casting to be well done. Particularly, the casting of Peter Pan and Michael Darling (played by Time Winters) were superb. When these two delivered their lines, I felt it, and I felt that these were lines that Peter Pan really would say and that these were lines that Michael would honestly say if this alternate story had occurred. The two had a great energy together, and it made for strong moments between the two. It made me believe that these two had actually gone through a number of adventures together. It felt like there was history between them, and that made their scenes together all the better.

The cinematography was also pleasing to watch, especially when we consider that this short film was done as the director's college thesis. There were a good amount of close-ups, which I felt added a sense of intimacy and intensity to the scenes, particularly between Peter and Michael. The color scheme of the film was dark and almost tense, which matched with the overall tone of the film. There were also some nods to classic Peter Pan icons, such as the Big Ben and Tick-Tock the Crocodile (cleverly shown as a crocodile sloped over a clock).

Overall, East of Kensington is a great way to spend 20 minutes, and it breathes new life into Barrie's beloved story. I only wish it had been developed into a full-length film or even extended into a 30 minute short film. The film was such an interesting take on the original that I would have loved to see it in more detail. Having the film a bit longer would've given Moore the chance to really hammer home the darker themes he showcased.

Nonetheless, he executed a great film in the small amount of time he did, and it's only furthered my appreciation for Peter Pan and his never-ending list of adventures.