Anytime I go to see -The Short Film- I brace myself. The mere mention of a short film conjures up images of giant yawns. And there are other times when I just shake my head and think, "what the hell?" The tendency is to cramp way too many ideas into too few moments. Or worst of all, "artistic license abuse".
Thankfully, Dog Bowl was none of these. I was pleasantly surprised by its simplicity. At first, I was confused by the main character's behavior. Debra seemed to be suffering with a bout of dissociation, coupled with Tourette Syndrome. The first time this happens is when she starts slapping her lover during sex. Jolly, her boyfriend, becomes slightly alarmed when she starts slapping him with no other purpose but to slap. And then she rudely interrupts him while he is sitting on the toilet, a very uncomfortable moment. We come to find out later, that there is an unearthly explanation for this behavior.
The movie was well shot and the production value was impressive. I enjoyed the writing, using an extraterrestrial approach to what can easily be consider a real-life emotionally conflicted human experience. I can remember as a teen-ager acting out for no apparent reason and then later wondering, "what I was thinking". A total lack of control over the situation. The movie's message to me is; "hang tight, more will be revealed."
Thankfully, Dog Bowl was none of these. I was pleasantly surprised by its simplicity. At first, I was confused by the main character's behavior. Debra seemed to be suffering with a bout of dissociation, coupled with Tourette Syndrome. The first time this happens is when she starts slapping her lover during sex. Jolly, her boyfriend, becomes slightly alarmed when she starts slapping him with no other purpose but to slap. And then she rudely interrupts him while he is sitting on the toilet, a very uncomfortable moment. We come to find out later, that there is an unearthly explanation for this behavior.
The movie was well shot and the production value was impressive. I enjoyed the writing, using an extraterrestrial approach to what can easily be consider a real-life emotionally conflicted human experience. I can remember as a teen-ager acting out for no apparent reason and then later wondering, "what I was thinking". A total lack of control over the situation. The movie's message to me is; "hang tight, more will be revealed."