After his neighbour criminal gets arrested, a jaded man takes the criminal’s young son to his home and must decide whether he will take him to an orphanage or keep taking care of him. (short film – p.s. my protagonist grew up in orphanage)

>>>making his economic situation real bad.

Yes, I can see how that might work.? A possible scenario:

Setup: The man has finally scrapped together enough money to avoid eviction that day.? He's done so by going hungry.? He's not only hungry but? hardened by a hard life has inured him to the plight of others.? For him, pity , love are luxuries he can't afford .

Inciting incident: And then who should show up on his doorstep but the boy from next door, now homeless, hungry, shoeles. Maybe he needs some medical care.

Dramatic dilemma: Take care of the kid BUT get evicted. Or pay the rent BUT consign the boy to? an unhappy, loveless life in the orphanage.?

Climax:? He takes the boy to the? orphanage.? But at the last moment, changes his mind.

Denouement: The man feeds the boy, buys him a pair of shoes. He gets evicted. The man and boy walk away into an uncertain future. But there is one certainty, the boy will have the love and protection of the man, love and protection he never had with his father.

fwiw

variable:

>>> where ?deciding to decide? becomes the plot
My statement is premised on the assumption that the short film is the length of a 1st Act in a feature length film.? And at least half of the 1st Act of a feature film is about the protagonist deciding to decide, right?? So it seems to me that in theory "deciding to decide" might work in a logline for a short film.

In my canon, you can violate every rule about screenwriting save one: "Thou shalt not bore thine audience." That is the greatest screenwriting and film making commandment. Breaking it is the unforgivable sin.? (Isn't that's the purpose of all the rules, paradigms, gimmicks and guidelines about screenwriting, to avoid committing the unforgivable sin?)

It seems to me that "deciding to decide" might work in a short film. But in a feature length film it would commit the unforgivable sin.