CHERRY-COLORED FUNK | Omeleto Comedy скачать в хорошем качестве

CHERRY-COLORED FUNK | Omeleto Comedy

A man opens a shop. Roberto Ferrari is about to open his ice cream and gelato shop. He's invested a lot in his dream -- his entire savings, in fact -- and everything has to be right. He goes so far as to berate his only employee, Lily, about sticking to their two-sample policy, if only because in his own childhood days, he abused the sample policy at ice cream shops to avoid paying for a full serving. Ever since then, Roberto has scammed his way into several hustles, but he's hoping the ice cream shop is his ticket to respectability. But when everyone from his past shows up to the opening, Roberto's shady deals and broken promises catch up to him. Directed by Chelsie Pennello from a script she co-wrote with Corbett Blair, this dark comedy short punches hard and unapologetically at the idea of the American Dream. From its dingy shop setting to its chaotic crescendo, the wild and energetic storytelling delivers a rollercoaster of a character portrait, as one grifter's fall becomes a sly, subversive meditation on the morally complicated ethos of success at any cost. Tonally and visually, the storytelling prizes a kind of off-kilter rhythm and eye, sometimes even assaulting viewers with noise, visual disorientation and oddly otherworldly lighting and color. It borders on the absurdist, but it also reflects Roberto's world, where nothing is quite what it seems, including Roberto himself. We meet him as he's berating Lily about sticking to his draconian sample policy, and as he explains himself, the anecdote reveals his worldview. He's not just stingy, but he's a scammer, and now that he's trying to go legit, he's suspicious of being scammed himself. We understand the depths of Roberto's mindset when his store opens, and people from Roberto’s past arrive, making for a parade of angry, hurt casualties of his dishonesty. Whether it's a business rival, an investor who wants his money back or an ex-wife who mocks Roberto for his abandonment of family, Roberto can't escape his past, as much as he tries to reinvent himself. As the past grievances pile up, Roberto's empire of illusions begins to fall. As Roberto, actor Michael Tow hits both the surreally comic notes of his character with a broad, bold performance. Roberto is selfishly entitled and callow, but his gnawing drive to succeed and be "someone" is real and relatable. As he confronts each member of his past, the tension ratchets up, and the film's tone swerves from comically chaotic to emotionally frenzied. But as Roberto licks his wounds and retreats to the back room, defeated and on the verge of giving up, a glimmer of hope -- or perhaps redemption -- flickers. Towards its end, CHERRY-COLORED FUNK offers one genuine, sincere interaction, as Lily greets a pair of customers with warmth and professionalism. For a moment, a stone-col capitalistic exchange is a vehicle for human kindness and decency, and Roberto's dream feels within reach again, as he glimpses what's possible with genuine sincerity. But of course, the film is too wily for that. Its mission, after all, is to take a scapel to the myth of meritocracy -- the idea that anyone can “make it” in America if they just work hard enough. Roberto exists in a long lineage of American dreamers who realize that it's not enough to make money -- the hustle demands leaving identity and ethics behind, and it's often as destructive as it is aspirational. CHERRY-COLORED FUNK. Courtesy of Chelsie Pennello at https://chelsiepennello.com.