This is an odd little short. Its tone kept me off-kilter, and it took me a while to decide whether or not it seemed to be going for some type of magical realism, though I ultimately came down on the side of liking it. And look, I know that I’m biased, but Joel Fry is really great in it!
Ivan’s call center job is sucking the life out of him. One night, when he happens to walk into a pub called The Fortune, he contemplates new possibilities for himself. An encounter with an eccentric old writer reignites his own writing dreams, which he’d all but given up on, and Ivan starts to hope for a different path for his life.
As I said, the feel and tone of the short is a little elusive. When Ivan first walks into The Fortune, I found myself wondering if this was going to be like the pub version of the mysterious shop that sells you an enchanted object and isn’t there anymore when you try to go back. Some of its clientele—like Lester, Ivan’s new writer friend, and Harriet, a former It Girl turned theatrical producer—are larger than life and lend a slightly unreal quality to the whole thing. Contrasted against the droning monotony of Ivan’s job, I can see why he’d be taken with it.
The script is all right. The voiceover is used too sparingly to really fit, and the dialogue relies a little too often on characters repeating one another’s lines back to each other, a la, “I thought you were all through with that!”, “Well, I’m not through with all that.” Still, there are some nice bits here. I like the air of mystery and romance Lester very intentionally cultivates for himself, there are some well-used quotations, and I enjoy how things come out in the resolution.
The best part, though, is Joel Fry’s performance as Ivan. He turns in some lovely, understated work here. Ivan reminds me a little of both Hugh from Bank of Dave and Trevor from DogBoy, in that he’s insecure, soft-spoken, and generally uncomfortable. Each of these characters still feels distinct and different, though, which I imagine isn’t easy with characters who are a bit wallflower-ish.
With Ivan, we see Fry’s physicality coming through in his discomfort, or lack thereof. When Ivan is at work (and sometimes when he’s with his girlfriend,) he’s constantly rubbing/touching his face or fiddling with his hair. He largely averts his eyes from other people’s, and he apologizes as he stumbles over his words. But when he’s with Lester, listening to the old man’s stories or thinking about his own writing, Ivan is eager and fairly relaxed. He smiles, he speaks more confidently, and he’s more likely to look people in the eye. In any given scene, all you have to do is look at him to know if it’s draining or invigorating for him.
There are so many small moments of his that I really like. Compared to Day Murch’s Lester and Sadie Frost’s Harriet, Fry’s work is very understated, which makes for an interesting contrast with their more colorful performances. When Ivan’s girlfriend is griping about him getting back into the play he’s been writing, he tries to tell her about Lester encouraging him. She flatly responds, “Has he read it?”, and Ivan’s face crumbles in the smallest, quietest way before he admits, “Not yet.” I also really love a scene where Ivan is talking to Harriet. I won’t spoil the details, but Fry is so good here! As Ivan begins, he’s nervous but excited, and over the course of the scene, we see his confusion growing even as he hangs onto his hopeful smile. Just wonderfully done!
Accent Watch
Sounds like his usual Southern British English.
Recommend?
In General – I might. It’s kind of a weird one and the script stumbles a bit, but on the whole, I liked it.
Joel Fry – Yes. I know I’m sounding easy to please here, because I’ve loved him in practically everything I’ve watched for Joel Fry-days, but I do honestly love what he does with this character.
Warnings
Drinking/smoking, language, suggestiveness, and thematic elements.
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