This is a quiet, quirky gem of a short film. All the performances are solid, especially Newlander, whose silently tormented protagonist is a delight to watch, perfecting the art of subtle body language, snarky attitude and a great sense of comedic timing.
This isn't exactly laugh out loud funny. (Though it does have one or two moments; the ending presented in the credits is nothing short of hysterical.) Its the portrait of a troubled man, just recently broken up with his girlfriend whose family hated him, and how something perfectly absurd....the presence of a noisy rooster, for example, becomes the manifestation of all his angst. It is amusing and witty, portraying a brilliant downbeat comedy, but if one observes Alexander's life enough, it borders on the depressing in brief moments (his loneliness, for instance; his isolation from all the crazy characters he encounters.) But these are obviously fleeting, and everything seems to end well (save the beatings of the gangster group that the dreaded rooster actually belonged to.) Its a great solo number for Newlander, who should work more; he's a talented actor who co-wrote this film, to boot. Its a small, thoughtful, strange black comedy, although short, holds up in all respects and should definitely be watched at least once (by anyone who is at least, a Newlander fan.)
This isn't exactly laugh out loud funny. (Though it does have one or two moments; the ending presented in the credits is nothing short of hysterical.) Its the portrait of a troubled man, just recently broken up with his girlfriend whose family hated him, and how something perfectly absurd....the presence of a noisy rooster, for example, becomes the manifestation of all his angst. It is amusing and witty, portraying a brilliant downbeat comedy, but if one observes Alexander's life enough, it borders on the depressing in brief moments (his loneliness, for instance; his isolation from all the crazy characters he encounters.) But these are obviously fleeting, and everything seems to end well (save the beatings of the gangster group that the dreaded rooster actually belonged to.) Its a great solo number for Newlander, who should work more; he's a talented actor who co-wrote this film, to boot. Its a small, thoughtful, strange black comedy, although short, holds up in all respects and should definitely be watched at least once (by anyone who is at least, a Newlander fan.)