In Dylan Levine’s short film The Clock Painter, a working-class teen, Clara (Anna Maria Blackwood), has trouble making friends at her school. After being bullied by a group of girls, Clara is befriended by Elspeth (Corinne McLoughlin), who is well-to-do and offers Clara a chance to make money working as a clock painter for a high-end watch company under Elspeth’s sister, Maribeth. Clara shows amazing skill at painting watches, and she can resist the temptation to engage Elspeth in silly gossip.
As time passes, Clara enjoys the small luxuries in life that her job affords, along with drawing the attention of a handsome man. When Maribeth becomes ill, her friendship with Elspeth begins to sour.

“Clara shows amazing skill at painting watches, and she can resist the temptation to engage Elspeth in silly gossip.”
The Clock Painter is a story of friendship that snuck up from behind and connected with me in an unexpected way. Dylan Levine directed the short from Shannon Jilek’s script. The tone and story are so well managed that it’s hard not to feel the emotion of this story.
As Clara, Anna Maria Blackwood brilliantly portrays a working-class girl well aware of her position in society who is given the opportunity of a lifetime to take a small step above her class. While we’ve seen stories like this before, a twist happens that shines a new light on friendship and how Clara takes it for granted.
Cinematically, The Clock Painter is beautifully depicted with outstanding performances from Blackwood and McLoughlin. One doesn’t have to be a teenage girl from England to understand the film’s message.