I know I should not comment on other user comments, but there is one here that really hates this short film and lambasts it for being one joke and being about nothing. That person is of course entitled to his opinion whether I agree with him or not (I have my fair share of wrong 'uns on this site) but I think he really missed this whole film and it is a shame. The plot is that we join a dinner party where the guests eat feverishly in very posh and formal surroundings, with every type of meat and dish coming to them. As they eat the floor starts to creak and bow until it gives way and the whole party collapses to the next floor down. With only the slightest delay, the waiting staff and orchestra join them via the stairs and the meal continues. And continues. And continues.
From the director the recent feature Prisoners, this short film is actually a very effective and absurd vision of hell. It is "one-joke" perhaps but this is to ignore the fact that our understanding and perception of the situation changes as we go. The view of the food starts out as enticing (I would have gone for a sausage early doors) but as the film goes on, even to the viewer the excess of type and volume of food is too much. The "joke" of falling through the floor is a good device to show the neverending nature of this situation and I very much enjoyed how it went from comical to dark to outright disturbing. The manic and driven way they eat is part of it but the single tear and insane laughter of the woman is more effective and memorable. The story is simple perhaps as it is a vision of Hell for the sins of greed and gluttony but it is really well done and pretty creepy.
The direction and cinematography means the film looks great but the effects are also very well done, whether it be the collapse of the floor or just the attention to detail of the coating of dust to confirm the fall. The close-ups of the food mixes appealing and unappealing but never pushes it too much to be obvious – it lets the quantities and the relentless flow of it do the work. So, to my fellow user who hates this short film with a passion – I do not agree. This is a very well made film that has a simple idea at its core but makes it an engaging grotesque and absurd experience and, ultimately, gives you a haunting memory of this place as a very specific Hell – which is of course what it is.
From the director the recent feature Prisoners, this short film is actually a very effective and absurd vision of hell. It is "one-joke" perhaps but this is to ignore the fact that our understanding and perception of the situation changes as we go. The view of the food starts out as enticing (I would have gone for a sausage early doors) but as the film goes on, even to the viewer the excess of type and volume of food is too much. The "joke" of falling through the floor is a good device to show the neverending nature of this situation and I very much enjoyed how it went from comical to dark to outright disturbing. The manic and driven way they eat is part of it but the single tear and insane laughter of the woman is more effective and memorable. The story is simple perhaps as it is a vision of Hell for the sins of greed and gluttony but it is really well done and pretty creepy.
The direction and cinematography means the film looks great but the effects are also very well done, whether it be the collapse of the floor or just the attention to detail of the coating of dust to confirm the fall. The close-ups of the food mixes appealing and unappealing but never pushes it too much to be obvious – it lets the quantities and the relentless flow of it do the work. So, to my fellow user who hates this short film with a passion – I do not agree. This is a very well made film that has a simple idea at its core but makes it an engaging grotesque and absurd experience and, ultimately, gives you a haunting memory of this place as a very specific Hell – which is of course what it is.