DICK SISTERS: Short But Sweet-ish
With a nine minute run-time the short, Dick Sisters, doesn’t have any to waste. The opening starts off with a bang, quite literally, as one of the three characters in this contained setting, dies. I mean that in a positive way, as space isn’t really a necessity. In fact, intimacy often requires the opposite.
It’s an accident, and as we quickly learn, Dick (Allan McLeod), was involved with both of the girls who now stand over his body. Tessa (Gaby Dunn) and Alli (Emma Myles) had a friendship that was sundered, assuringly because of Dick. Ironic name choice, as the man was the root cause. Joined together by happenstance, these two women quickly realize their feelings exceed the bonds of friendship.
If You Didn’t Already Know The Players, You Should Now
Gaby Dunn who stars and co-wrote the script with director Lauren Garroni, is clearly no stranger to instigating laughs. This short isn’t shy of repartee, but there’s also a necessary element of physical comedy by both Dunn and her co-star Emma Myles, from their initial shock to their closing romantic entanglements and fourth-wall breaking final wink.
Myles you might know from Orange is the New Black, and Dunn from Take My Wife. The experienced direction by Garroni ensures an efficient use of talent and narrative. All of the women involved prove up to the task, and make Dick Sisters worthy of a view. Even McLeod is just the right amount of over-the-top.
Can you fall in love over the course of a night after someone dies? Does that sentence sound funny? Well, then, this is your short. The answer is… who knows for sure. While the occasion here is limited, there’s an indication of a history, and a declaration of feelings past. There’s also a saccharine tinge to their epiphanic joining, that still feels genuine even as the humor takes over.
Conclusion: Dick Sisters
Rooted by clever dialogue and personable actresses, Dick Sisters is an endearingly quirky short film.
Dick Sisters will have its premiere at the Frameline San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival on June 16th. For more information on the festival click here. For more information on the film click here.
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