“Between Dreams and Family” is a sweet story about one young adolescent’s courage to break away from family to chase a dream. While Malcolm may be in a different place, the issues he battles with are universal. Without having to elaborate too much, he manages to convey the tensions of family, tradition vs. modernity, and dreams vs. expectations.
Though the piece was fragmented at times in its arrangement, the producer did a nice job of creating a linear story line. Her voicing was fresh in its clarity and fusion of professionalism and personal connection. In the beginning she mentions that she met the main character of the piece, Malcolm, in Yangoon. I find myself slightly curious as to how she met him, though it isn’t central to the content of the piece. Also, the music – Malcolm playing his guitar – would have helped join the whole piece together if it were kept underneath. Sometimes the change from background noise, to music, to the silence of the studio created disconnect.
This piece would suit programing about music, or about the struggle between following family and one’s own passions.
Malcolm’s thoughtful, sometimes melancholy way of speaking, grips you. When you listen you feel his ups and downs, so much so that his final words touch your heart. What those words are, you’ll just have to listen and find out.