davidagable

a quick 10-minute short that falls somewhere between the American TV show The Office and Mike Judd's Office Space (which also got its start as a short film) but with a twist. It is a hilarious piece of commentary about how are lives are being taken (figuratively and/or literally) by the soul- crushing office work so many people find themselves doing despite aspirations of more meaningful work that are never realized. In my opinion the best comedy also serves as poignant commentary, and that's exactly what this short film does. The editing is splendid, as are the actors. If you've got a sense of humor, it will make you laugh. If you have a desk job, it might just make you cry.

This 11 minute short took years to create, and the time they invested in it payed off. The epic struggles the production of this film entailed just to get it to the big screen (due in large part to its controversial nature)could probably be a film in and of itself.

One of the best short films I've seen, Punched (Abgestempelt)challenges the assumptions we make about people and their actions and serves as important political commentary in a world of ever-increasing levels of profiling by the security agencies charged with keeping us safe. However, one of the messages of Punched (Abgestempelt), is that our safety and security might be better served, not by an ever vigilant security force, but by our own compassion.

For everyone who saw Silver Linings Playbook and thought that it was a typical Hollywood romantic comedy trying to pitch itself as something different; I urge you to go see Twenty Million People and have your faith in movie making restored.

This film is everything a romantic comedy should be. Often when characters in movies have too quick a wit and the banter is too clever it serves to alienate you from those characters and made them less "human" and more shtick. Here, the cynical and ironic humor is clearly being used by the characters as a way of avoiding being vulnerable and open (while still being hilarious). The humor here actually bring you closer to the characters and makes them more real and likable without ever seeming forced or too scripted. (as a side note: Getting a chance to meet Michael Ferrell in person, I found him to be just as quick and funny as the character he portrays).

In addition, the romance here feels very real. The characters aren't falling head over heels for each other after one glance, or chasing after trains to tell each other that they've "always loved them". Instead they are often more at home sending text messages than interacting in person and are trying to navigate how to find intimacy in a world where technology seems to keep us more and more at an arms length from those around us.

Anyone with an opportunity to see this film should absolutely do so. Who knows, you may even fall in love with it.