Downward Dog – A Short Film Review
Downward Dog is a short film focusing on Darby and her relationship with Sharon. This is a fun short that is extremely well put together and superbly performed but I felt that story was a little on the light side.
What’s It All About?
“Downward Dog” is a comedy about Darby. Darby is a 30-something lesbian who is trying to survive her romantic life, despite herself. After a date with Sharon seemingly goes a little awry Darby has a few things she wants to get off her chest.
My Opinion
At just under seven minutes long Downward Dog is a comedy focusing on relationships. The relationship between Darby and the unseen Sharon. The short takes place in the apartment of Darby who has a missed call from Sharon talking about something that happened the night before. Darby then calls her back and leaves a number of messages as she argues with herself.
Writer and director Darren Coyle has done a great job at delivering a polished short film. The production values are there for all to see and the acting is superb. We get a bunch of close up shots that really allow us to get personal with the lead, Kassie, and watch her struggling with herself as she talks to Sharon’s answering machine. The editing is very tight and keeps a nice steady pace from start to finish.
The comedy is well written and thought out. I really liked the idea of Darby obsessively phoning Sharon and talking to her machine. Watching her go through a whole bunch of emotions in such a short space of time was fun in itself, but the light nature of the writing, while not always life-out-loud is certainly fun.
I think the main issue for me with this film is that it felt as though it was one scene from a bigger story rather than being a self-contained film in itself. I didn’t feel as though the ending of the story had the pay off it deserved. While it did have a conclusion, I don’t think i was worthy of the strong build up we were given which did let the story down as a whole. Kassie did an excellent job keeping the attention of th audience, as it was simply herself and the phone as the two main participants on-screen, but the lack of pay-off left me wanting more from this short.
Notable Performances
Kassie Thornton played Darby. Kassie puts in an extremely strong performance and holds the audience in the palm of her hand with ease. Being the sole actor on-screen can be a struggle for some but Kassie commands the room, and the audience. Her mannerisms, temperament and attitude all changed as she swung seamlessly through a wide range of emotions
The Verdict
Overall I thought Downward Dog was a good effort. I feel what it lacked in-depth it made up for in personality. Some great editing and camera work, standing alongside a superb performance from Kassie. Unfortunately the ending did leave me wanting a little more.
