Sometimes there are days at work when you feel miserable, exhausted, ready to just quit your job and do what your heart really desires. When one of your colleagues asks how you are doing, you lie straight to their faces and say “I’m doing fine, thanks”, when the only thing you want to say is “overworked and full of stress. ” When you experience those moments, you need cheering up and On Hold, the latest short from the talented Jake Nielsen (Did I Tell You ‘Bout Jasper?) is the perfect film for that. While it is a joyful, colourful and delightful short film musical, there is a certain amount of truth in it, all of which we can learn from.

Gabby Stencil (Madeleine Jones) works as a customer service worker at Viscorp and is always prepared to give people the best advice she can via telephone. However, despite being ready for any call,  working at Viscorp is not the job she has always wanted. She wants to chase her musical dream. Whilst being stuck at her office job, she writes songs and applications in the hope of becoming the next star in the musical world. Sadly, she receives rejection letter after rejection letter, saying that she is “too old”. Being almost 30, she’s expected to have a booming career, an amazing social life, and a big salary but alas, that is not the case at all. Things might change for Gabby when she receives a promotion at work. Everyone tells her to take it but she remains unsure. Will she stay in that same job where she can earn more or will she quit and pursue her dream job with which she might earn less?

On Hold holds some valuable lessons. The first lesson is that you have to take control over what you want in your life. You only have one life so why listen to others? Don’t be like the people at Viscorp. Take matters into your own hands. The second lesson is that even though there are dark, depressive and uncertain moments, there is always a silver lining on the horizon.  A spark of optimism, happiness, and pleasure is something we all need and deserve. We have really learned something from Nielsen and his team.

The songs are cheerful, funny and catchy. It would be great if they make On Hold a full-length feature film so we can hear more songs and get to know the characters a bit better.  Although there is a little information about each character,  we certainly can pick one we can all relate to. You have a single mom, you have a young woman who wants to achieve her dream but values advice from other people a little bit too much and you have the “busy busy busy” guy who feels superior to the others but who’s no more than them. We can recognize ourselves in them. What also makes us feel very welcome into the life of these different characters is the bright and light cinematography that goes incredibly well with the joyful songs. There’s only a slight moment of darkness but after darkness, there’s light, in more than one way.

On Hold is a fantastic film which will put a smile on your face and make you think about your own life!

Liselotte Vanophem, Film and Celebrity Reporter – Just Celebrity Magazine