Greenwood, a young typographer in London, has a severe stutter that makes everyday conversation an ordeal. Online, however, he’s articulate and charming — especially with Ellie, a woman he’s been messaging for six months. When she suggests they finally meet in person, Greenwood faces his greatest fear: that the gap between who he is in text and who he is in speech will destroy the only real connection he has.
Editorial Perspective
Benjamin Cleary’s Stutterer uses its protagonist’s condition as a way into a universal anxiety: the distance between who we are online and who we are in the flesh. Cleary — who himself stutters — brings an insider’s understanding to every scene. The film’s most brilliant device is its voiceover, which gives us Greenwood’s inner monologue in smooth, eloquent prose while his spoken words fragment and halt. The final scene is one of the most genuinely romantic moments in recent short cinema.
Where to Watch
Available on Vimeo and YouTube. Cleary went on to direct the feature Swan Song (2021) starring Mahershala Ali.
Historical data reconstructed from archive.org snapshots of the Manhattan Short Film Festival website.
