By Rachael Fisher
On My Mind, the Oscar-Nominated short leaving audiences with tears in their eyes and tissues in hands. A heartwarming story about a man and his will to sing karaoke to Elvis Presley’s “On My Mind” for his dying wife’s last moments. He refuses to let the bar owner’s attitude (Ole Boisen) or his stern right-hand bartender (Camilla Bendix) get in the way of his determination.
We can see the hardship in Henrik’s eyes (played by Rasmus Hammerich). However it is not until the end, we recognize what he is truly up against. Hammerich’s performance does justice to the beautiful dialogue written by the director and producer himself Martin-Strange Hansen.The simple objective is so small yet so difficult to fight for the stage to sing. The bar owner does not give in until the very moment we understand why Henrik must sing this song and whom he must sing it for.
Presley’s song On My Mind is said to have the power to ”make the soul fly.” From the lighting, to the sound design to the composition, these aspects all add to the symbolism that creates a message around the question we all ponder around grief: Is it possible to let go of the ones we love?
Following our protagonist and his fight for his wife, we too are able to contemplate the very question ourselves. Many of us understand love to have a definitive end at one point or another, yet after viewing On My Mind, we have the ability to grasp hope in the idea of everlasting love even once the soul of the other has been set free.
