Gunderson’s – A Short Film Review
Gunderson’s is an entertaining short comedy about Max, a substitute teacher who discovers he has a very rare sexually transmitted disease called Gunderson’s. You may not find yourself laughing out loud but this film funny definitely delivers.
Max begins at the doctors, where he is given the diagnosis that he has a very rare sexually transmitted disease called Gunderson’s, a disease with only one symptom, a nervous twitch. The news comes at an extremely bad time as he is about to start work at a school teaching Health to youngsters. Things seem to be going well as Principal Cox seems to really like Max after he invites Max to a meeting. Things deteriorate quickly when Principal Cox discovers Max has Gunderson’s and suspends him from teaching. This revelation gives Max the inspiration to give his class one last lesson on life!
This short was directed by Matt Porter and written by Porter, Phil Primason, Max Azulay and Mallory Westfall. They have managed to give us a very well written and funny script that is both intelligent and interesting. The absurd nature of a sexually transmitted twitch is very unique and amusing in itself. The dialogue was very witty and well written with strong interaction between the characters in every scene. The scenes were all solid from the moment the film started in the doctors surgery to the finale until the classroom when Max gives his final lecture to his students. The camera work, lighting and sound are solid throughout the short which gives us a very well made production.
Max Azulay plays the main character Max. He does a brilliant job playing the laid back, cool teacher who talks to the students on their level. Max comes across on screen as a very likable and easy-going type of guy and is a perfect fit for this role as he give us a very strong performance. Being a part of the writing team it is easy to realize this role was written for him and he does an excellent job with it. He has good timing and a great sense of delivery.
The supporting cast includes Timothy J. Cox as Principal Cox. I have mentioned this before but Tim plays these authority roles extremely well and this is no exception. He gives us a comedic over-the-top performance to be proud of. The enthusiasm he puts into the character lifts it off the screen. Dan Azulay plays Dr. Grossman in a strong, confident performance. Dan seems to thoroughly enjoy this limited role and has fun playing it.
We get a glimpse into Max’s social life with a small scene where he is drinking with friends in a forest. This scene only lasts a few seconds but introduces us to some interesting characters. These include Jeremy Hernandez as Ray, by far the youngest of the group who also happens to be getting taught by Max. We also get to see him interacting with Max at school and it is clear they are good friends. Jeremy is in fine form and gives a very believable performance. Eoin Cahill as Simon and Mike DeGasperi as Carl make up the other two friends. Both seem confident on camera and present us with some interesting characters in their limited screen-time.
Overall this was a funny and entertaining comedy. The collection of strong characters featured in this short is a credit to both the acting and writing team. I would to have loved this short to have been longer so could have found out more about these characters. Max and his friends seem like they could have more adventures up their sleeves. Max and Cox also worked very well together and it would have been nice to seem them interact a little more.
Hopefully their is more to come from this great team!
Watch the movie yourself here.
