The 27th Annual Dances With Films: LA has a great film lineup from June 20-30, and as it continues, I am able to view several short films. Los Angeles’ leading independent film festival has many features and genres from which to select.
Princeton’s In The Mix – World Premiere – Fusions Short Block 1
The film begins with a young man playing piano and a woman cutting a watermelon in the kitchen, wincing at the sound of his performance. She is the mother of an adolescent, and the viewer hears her bearing down on him about studying more, reminding him of the SAT coming up, and more. He is more interested in music, which does not sit well with her.
LOGLINE: Things spiral out of control when the wealthy mother of a high schooler discovers that her son can get extra time on the SAT if he gets injured.
I viewed the film, which evolves into a story about three families inclined to have the best setup for their students during the SAT. As each wealthy parent shares something about their student, all I could think of was, “THIS IS BONKERS!” This short is an incredible look at what some parents are willing to do to have their child succeed on a test and then attend select universities.
The parents pressure the students into college, and they do not mind crossing the line if there is resistance. The information provided about this horror short film is that college scandals in the Bay Area inspired the film. This thriller would play well at horror genre festivals.
Jonathan DiMaio (Unconformity) is the writer/director, and this is a very well-done short, capturing great performances by the cast to carry out his vision.
Cast: Heather Burns (“Julia” TV series, Manchester by the Sea), Charlie Besso (“Fallout” and “Will Trent” TV series)
RUN TIME: 15:45
Source: Vanishing Pictures