Coming in at one second below 15 minutes exactly, Gin & Dry uses the medium of the short film very well. It does something not done often enough in modern storytelling, it tells a humble little story with a lot of sincerity, thoughtfulness and a sense of fun, turning what could've easily been a fluffy "switch off" comedy into something with some real and memorable weight.
Main character Albie enjoys spending his time at the Twin Willows retirement home with his wife and a good drink. That's how most of the residents seem to add a bit of spice to their otherwise dreary lives. But on Christmas Eve the fun's spoilt; when the well meaning but patronising young bloke who works there tells them not only that he's withholding the booze this year but that they're better off without it, trouble brews.
The strength of the narrative comes out of its respect for its characters. It's so simple to make comedy characters out of the elderly sometimes, and it's always a bit cringey to see done, but the humour here seems to come from our understanding of their desperation for their beloved drink. We agree, from the looks of the place and its staff, that Twin Willows is not a place we'd want to spend any length of time let alone our twilight years. It's sadness and frustration that makes the comedy and, basically, you want them to have their booze back.
The production values really work to support the narrative whilst never trying to take centre stage. The colour scheme of the film looks suitably boozy brown and crisp, getting across the dullness of the home in the process. Direction and cinematography's well thought out, every shot hits the mark tells a lot of the story visually, the final shot being a real treat. All the old folks are acted really quite well and Albie in particular is a memorable performance.
It's one of those rare stories that's so hard to fault because it all seems to come from a warm place and achieves what it sets out to do, with respect for its characters and its audience, never unnecessarily overstepping any lines. There may be missed opportunities? Maybe some more emphasis on the booze heist element? But then its surprisingly brave in how much this comedic premise becomes a backdrop to the meat of the character stuff. In my opinion it tells a more honest and likable story in 15 minutes than a lot of 2+ hour mammoth features so it's surely worth anyone's time.
Main character Albie enjoys spending his time at the Twin Willows retirement home with his wife and a good drink. That's how most of the residents seem to add a bit of spice to their otherwise dreary lives. But on Christmas Eve the fun's spoilt; when the well meaning but patronising young bloke who works there tells them not only that he's withholding the booze this year but that they're better off without it, trouble brews.
The strength of the narrative comes out of its respect for its characters. It's so simple to make comedy characters out of the elderly sometimes, and it's always a bit cringey to see done, but the humour here seems to come from our understanding of their desperation for their beloved drink. We agree, from the looks of the place and its staff, that Twin Willows is not a place we'd want to spend any length of time let alone our twilight years. It's sadness and frustration that makes the comedy and, basically, you want them to have their booze back.
The production values really work to support the narrative whilst never trying to take centre stage. The colour scheme of the film looks suitably boozy brown and crisp, getting across the dullness of the home in the process. Direction and cinematography's well thought out, every shot hits the mark tells a lot of the story visually, the final shot being a real treat. All the old folks are acted really quite well and Albie in particular is a memorable performance.
It's one of those rare stories that's so hard to fault because it all seems to come from a warm place and achieves what it sets out to do, with respect for its characters and its audience, never unnecessarily overstepping any lines. There may be missed opportunities? Maybe some more emphasis on the booze heist element? But then its surprisingly brave in how much this comedic premise becomes a backdrop to the meat of the character stuff. In my opinion it tells a more honest and likable story in 15 minutes than a lot of 2+ hour mammoth features so it's surely worth anyone's time.