Benny Klarin’s micro-short ‘The Road Not Taken’ distills Robert Frost’s 1915 poem of the same name into a one-minute visual journey.

Ben Dickison anchors the piece with a performance that is subtle yet essential. He does not overplay the role of a poet, he simply exists within it. Sitting with a notepad and pen, he prepares to write, and his narration unfurls the iconic poem over imagery of park and it’s nature. The film neither expands nor interprets the poem explicitly. Instead, it becomes the poem, living within its lines rather than translating them.

Frost’s words express the bittersweet inevitability of choice. Klarin’s film understands this. The visuals offer no clear distinction between the two metaphorical roads; the imagery remains equally inviting, equally distant. Technically, the film is restrained but effective. The cinematography is of respectable quality, never overpowering the simplicity of the moment. The editing is natural, effortless, present.

This is not a film for those seeking traditional storytelling. It does not impose meaning, nor does it aim to dazzle. A fleeting moment, a whisper of a thought, a question left unanswered. A visual poem in the truest sense, ‘The Road Not Taken’ is less about Frost’s famous choice and more about the space between decisions – the pause before the first step.