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4/10
Why not a circle or a triangle? A video sketchbook?
Havan_IronOak2 May 2004
Warning: Spoilers
Caution *** If I had a clue what this movie was about, I'd know if any of what I'm about to say contains spoilers ***

I'm not at all sure WHAT the filmmaker was trying to say with this short. The title seems to be no help. It seemed to be more of a video sketchbook than a complete film. There were lots of interesting plot points but no cogent plot.

Phillip is a sculptor. His abstract art centers on rectangles, his answer to the square.

He's married to Dede but it looks like they'll be separating (at least Dede says as much when asked by her father)

Her father is an aging doctor who's now retired and an invalid. He's had to have throat surgery of some type and talks with one of those hand held synthesizers. Perhaps also a stroke as he's unable to get around unassisted even with a walker and he doesn't recall that he's been married. (He was four times)

It seems Dede is in town to see her dad and relieve the home health worker (who she finds out is stealing from her dad)

She leaves Phillip at the motel where he meets Keith. Keith and Phillip talk a bit, hit the motel bar and then go back to Phillip and Dede's room where they hold an impromptu wrestling match with a bag of pot as the prize.

While Dede calls the bank to see how much the health care guy has stolen, Philip and Keith get high on the pot. There are some interested glances exchanged between the men but I wasn't sure if there was a sexual vibe between them or what.

Apparently Dede decides not to fire the health worker about the stealing but does say that there will be some changes. At the end she returns to the motel and the couple talk (but don't kiss) both agreeing that they've had a weird day.

As if I were looking at an artist's sketchbook, I'm not sure what any of it means. But there are definite points of interest.

Oh yes, there's a toy robot.
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OK, I didn't get it.
mcb-525 March 2004
This is a inexplicable 25-minute dramatic, live-action short in which it's difficult to figure out exactly what of significance happened to the characters. A couple checks into a motel, and the following day the wife goes to visit her father, who is an invalid, to give a break to his hired caretaker. The husband stays at the motel and strikes up a friendship with another man who is staying there. The director cuts between these scenes somewhat arbitrarily. Most annoying is the fact that the loud rock-music soundtrack featuring Robin Trower and David Essex plays over the dialogue making it hard to make out some of it. (Not sure if that was intentional, or sloppy sound editing.) I enjoy avant-garde and experimental filmmaking, but this just seemed like a pointless exercise.
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