And we are back with another installment in our Fantastic Short Film Friday series, as we continue to showcase films released in the "lesser" known form of cinema- the short film.
This week we have for you a modern update on the classic musical West Side Story, but fret not for those that don't like singing in their shorts, this is all body language and acting, a musical modernization without song. Here is a 13-minute short called, Our Deal from filmmaker, Drew Barrymore (yes that Drew Barrymore). The cinematic short form is getting more and more popular these days, and no where is that more evident then with this short, a film directed by a big name Hollywood actress and starring a cast of up and coming stars, from Chloe Moretz to Donald Glover.
The plot centers on a star-crossed love affair by members of rival gangs. Moretz is part of the Night Creeper’s and Tyler Posey is part of The Daytrotters. The two gangs share a turf, but have it at different times, Night/day. But from what we know from films like The Warriors and West Side Story, gangs can't coexist even if they are filled with good looking members, so they’re going to rumble, and dance, and dance some more. Sadly though this isn't a turf/class warfare battle of the wits like You Got Served was.
Produced by MTV, this short is a new idea from the no longer music video television channel- a new idea they like call, "supervideo." These supervideos are low-budget, narrative music videos designed to be platform “agnostic”, pairing big film talent with indie-superstar artist. Basically if you like the old Michael Jackson love form music videos, you'll like these shorts. Barrymore shows an adept eye at directing action and beautiful urban scenery, and Moretz gets to star in a more "mature" role then we've seen her before, displaying teenaged angst and love through her body language and facial expressions since there's no dialogue in the short. Just fantastic.
Check this out if you love stories like Romeo and Juliet. Check this out if you always wanted to watch a musical type performance but were turned off by the music. Again, this is a short with film/television actors! Just crazy. Enjoy this weeks dose of short form goodness in, Our Deal.
No comments:
Post a Comment