"An Exercise in Discipline: Peel" or just "Peel" is an Australian English-language short film from 1986, but seeing the year of production at the very end (1982), this means that it is even older, over 35 years old now, so Oscar-winning writer Jane Campion, who wrote and directed here was still under the age of 30 and in the very early stages of her career. This live action film we got here runs for under 9 minutes and won a Palme d'Or in Cannes for Best Short Film. I cannot really share the praise though. It is somewhat atmospheric admittedly and Campion's camera work stands out, but the story simply isn't good enough and the acting did not impress me either. On the contrary, it felt pretty much over the top at times. As a whole, the plot of a boy being sent out of the car for throwing orange peels on the road and being forced to collect them may be somewhat realistic, but not interesting enough for audiences to see really. Apparently the two grown-up actors here were also elated like they are in he movie. A lot may be going on below the surface here, also some forbidden stuff perhaps, but all in all I never found the watch appealing, interesting or memorable enough to give it a thumbs-up and a positive recommendation. Cannes got it wrong that year. The atmospheric take and the heat you almost feel through the screen aren't enough. Watch something else instead.
