Of all of Authentic Productions' wonderful short films, "Lionhearted" is one of the best.
When his father is called into active military duty, a boy (played by Keyghan Burns) must now become the man of the house, and he takes his responsibility seriously. When a nuclear explosion destroys their home (in a bit of wonderful CGI that you generally don't see in a production of this budget), the mother and son take to the mountains and they must fight to survive.
While each and every actor in this film is superb, the real star here is Keyghan Burns. This kid is absolutely wonderful as a boy trying to become a man. The boy we see in the opening if the film and the boy we see at the end of the film are two different creatures, and Burns handles the transition with ease. You believed every line and every expression, and your heart breaks as you think of his innocence disappearing. There are more than a few emotional scenes in this film and, as I mentioned, each and every actor is able to carry their own weight. I found myself close to tears a couple of times.
Authentic Productions, makers of the short films "S.O.L.", "Is Blake a Douche?", and "The Elevator", among others, have really outdone themselves with this one. The camera-work is amazing, the direction is wonderful, and the cinematography is spectacular. You can almost smell the desert air while watching this story unfold. It is absolutely unbelievable that this film was made for $200. Hollywood could learn a thing or two here.