Jackson Free Press

"This is Ravi. Can everyone say hello to Ravi?" the teacher asks as her hand rests on the shoulder of the awkward and shy boy standing before the class. With that introduction, Ravi joins his peers at his new school in Sydney, Australia. Ravi begins an unlikely friendship with Jane, who takes an immediate interest in her new classmate from Sri Lanka. Their friendship blossoms, not so much from the exchange of words, but from kind gestures and shared smiles.

Ravi is not as carefree as your typical 10-year-old, and the reason soon becomes apparent—he and his family reside at an immigration detention center. Their lives are confined behind high-wire fences, his freedom limited to the center and school and the white van that shuttles him daily between both places. "Ravi, you know the rules. Just be patient," his father says when Ravi asks if he can go to Jane's birthday party. Even in the midst of cake and balloons and other friends, Jane looks out the window watching and waiting for him.

But Ravi doesn't make it to the party, and he is not at school the following week. He and his family left Sydney, leaving Jane confused and saddened. Then, a red envelope arrives in the mail for her. It's a card from Ravi, thanking her for being his friend.

The contrast in the lighting used in scenes reflecting life in their respective homes illustrates their vastly different worlds. Jane's is illuminated in light—freedom, backyard trampolines, dog kisses, birthday parties and a mother's hugs. Ravi's world is weighed down with dimness—confinement, silent family dinners, whispered conversations between parents at night and a mother's tears.

But there is an instant connection between these two. Ravi is no longer sitting alone at recess as the others play around him. He is now a part of Jane's luminous world, if only for a little while.

"Ravi and Jane" screens at 2:50 p.m. April 6 on Screen B as part of the Shorts 7: Feel-Good Fare block.