Why Watch? A while back, we promoted a contest from W Hotels, Intel and Roman Coppola that was looking for short scripts. The Four Stories competition resulted in some excellent short films, and Eugene may be the very best – a humorous jaunt involving a sheepish man (played to perfection by Michael Govier) who is gifted a laptop that grants him anything he wishes.
Directed by Spencer Susser (Hesher), who’s appeared in this column before with I Love You Sarah Jane, every element is top notch on a technical level but it’s the non-obvious sense of humor found in Adam Blampied’s script that makes this work stand out. Govier has proven why he should play Ignatius Reilly here, playing a sweet oaf who tries to warm his hands by a fake fire and dog-whistle at a fish. He’s awkward even when he’s alone, and there’s a grand innocence to him (illustrated especially by what he wishes for), but the story itself is happier to echo the unfair episodes of The Twilight Zone when it comes to the plot thickening.
Stellar, quiet comedy with all sorts of unexpected directions, Blampied is a talent to watch, and whomever is trying to make A Confederacy of Dunces this time around should seriously give Govier a call.
What will it cost you? Only 12 minutes.
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Related Topics: Short Films
