First Short-film review - BP1

https://vimeo.com/channels/staffpicks/885394264

Write a Song About Heartache (2023)

Jonny Look

 

This is a short film written and produced by Jonny Look (2023).  It starts off with the protagonist (Todd) in an empty room with two people, trying to get them to approve of his song, which tells us that his goal is to write a good song about heartache.  However, we later find out that the obstacle is that he is getting his songs from a caterpillar (Archie) who hasn’t experienced pain or sadness in any way a human can relate to.

 

The story develops into Archie being hurt by Todd; therefore, singing a song that relates to feeling of pain that Todd can relate to.  This is the catalyst that creates a desire from Todd to harm Archie in multiple ways to keep this going.  This shows a subtext that Todd is only willing to sing about others pain rather than looking at himself.  The story is resolved by Todd going too far and killing Archie because he was trying to find a short cut to writing new hits.

This film is both amusing but also thought provoking as it suggests a trait of greed in Todd.  The ending is bittersweet because Todd gets his heartbreak song that does very well, but, because of his killing.  This could indicate to us that the perspective of the writer is that they have felt heartbreak before, and it isn’t something that can be made up from someone else’s experiences.  However, the heartbreak song is about Archie’s death.  In my writing this teaches, do not conclude on your thoughts on a short film too soon.