A young girl has requirements for a sibling.
NON-NEGOTIABLE is used with permission from Mike Doxford. Learn more at mikedoxford.com.
Kat and Jay are a married couple nervously awaiting a very important meeting at a cafe. They're expecting a tense tete-a-tete about an important new phase of their life together, with someone who won't be easy to negotiate with: their 9-year-old daughter, Deb.
In meeting her parents for breakfast after a sleepover, Deb outlines her terms and conditions before she consents to living with a new sibling. As Deb's parents and the little girl hash it out, their new family arrangement begins to come into view.
Directed and written by Mike Doxford, this sharp, charming short comedy takes a common family situation and applies an arch, droll gloss onto it. Rendered with great writing and precise direction, it makes for a warmly witty portrayal of a little girl's apprehension at getting a little brother or sister.
The film quickly establishes the nervousness and tension of the married couple as they await an important meeting. The tone is very serious, matched by a warm, weathered yet restrained sense of visuals. That seriousness suits the entrance of Deb, who carries herself with poised formality as well.
Though her parents attempt to pacify her with food and affection, Deb holds onto her assertive purposefulness, proving to be a formidable presence to negotiate with. Deb intends to leave the home upon the arrival of her new sibling unless her terms and conditions are met. As the negotiations play out, what emerges is a high-wire act of tone and humor. Deb is very earnest in her demands for a dog and ice cream whenever she wants, and there's an enjoyable contrast between how unrelenting and serious Deb is in holding her ground for what she wants, and how baffled the parents are by their daughter's independence and self-belief (which Deb attributes to being an only child.) Deb is not afraid to admonish her parents as if she were the authority figure, and that often makes for a comical reversal of power.
Beyond its excellent writing and directing, the success of the narrative hinges on the character of Deb, strikingly played by excellent young performer Izabella Dziewanska as a precocious, confident girl whose keen intelligence belies her young age. Sometimes precociousness in children can be played for stylized uncanniness or cloying cuteness, but Dziewanska's performance strikes a wonderful balance here between maturity and vulnerability, especially when the conversation begins to reveal the deeper fears and trepidation that children feel with a new sibling.
When Deb's parents -- played by actors Samuel Anderson and Jill Winternitz, who is also a producer -- finally hear the fearful subtext underneath Deb's demands, they understand what she truly wants: reassurance that she'll be loved and still have special time with them. Reassuring the little girl that she won't be loved any less with the arrival of the baby, NON-NEGOTIABLE steps into its heartfelt conclusion with an understated yet palpable warmth, concluding the film with a sense of comfort that wraps both Deb and viewers in a cocoon of familial love and steadiness that lingers well after ending.