"Hoffman's film is in the experimental film tradition of the personal diary although in this case a beautifully paced mixture of family photographs and dramatic reconstruction interwoven into a narrative that creates objective distance. On the Pond reveals skills of editing, sound and story-telling which evoke in ten minutes a complex and emotional study of family, its past and present, its young dreams and its affections. Unsentimental, evocative and perfectly pitched in its emotional resonance, it avoids all the pitfalls of personal narrative and is an excellent example of the short film's power when handled with skill, sensitivity and integrity." (Michael O'Pray)

"Hoffman's first completed film already bears the traits of his future works: an interest in family history and the reconstruction of memory; a complex temporal scheme that also calls into question the 'truth value' of documentary material: a deep feeling for the Canadian landscape; and a certain clarity and honesty about his own position as filmmaker. On the Pond can appear at first viewing as a fairly simple familial reminiscence about a former family home, a dog who has since passed away, and the rituals of childhood play: hockey for the boys figure skating for the girls. Close attention to the film's form, however, discloses a surprising complexity and richness in its structuring of time, its ambiguity regarding the 'documentary' character of much of the material, and its sound-image relations." (Chris Gehman, Images Festival Catalogue, 2001)

Production format: 16mm