Directed by: Teemu Niukkanen Written by: Antti Toivonen Genre: Comedy |
Are you Hungry
Teenager Tomi ( Matvei German ) is a socially awkward teenager. Fearing that he's heading down a road to seclusion his worried mother ( Pirjo Lonka ) decides she should step in. The problem is that she doesn't really know how, especially because she thinks he may be gay. Help from her coworkers doesn't yield much aside from a question about what Tomi likes to eat; or how to possibly approach things if he really is gay.
Desperate to protect her son from a dreary, friendless life, Tomi's mom sets in motion a series of events that one after another completely fail to do much of anything. The final idea she has is the vast majority of this title. It's a fun ride of parental shenanigans that is just as bonkers as it actually isn't. How far would a parent go to set their child up for the life ahead? How far should they go? Are you Hungry narrates itself around these questions, and also digs up a lot of jokes along the way. Writer Antti Toivonen and director Teemu Niukkanen's short film is a fast paced comedy with some serious undertones. Those being that of a worried parent. It's break neck editing and pounding score leave little room for debate; this is meant to be a fast and fun title. Are you Hungry also happens to be subtitled which sometimes makes it hard for me personally to watch a movie. I seem to spend all my time reading the dialog! With this title though, there's not a whole lot of exposition, so following alone and reading was no problem at all. The normal staple of micro budget movies, the bad acting thankfully didn't make an appearance here. Everything seemed real and not overly acted. Except the points where the character is meant to be overly zany. In particular, Lonka as the mother has mastered the switches from real to movie silly at the blink of an eye. The supporting cast also deserve a mention, adding some odd humor in a realistic way. Are you Hungry was a well above average short film in almost every regard. It touchy subject matter, the worries of a parent and general comedic concepts all landed where they should have. 3.5 stars easily and thank you for reading. |
