NR, 20 min.
Director: Michael Cera
Writers: Michael Cera, Bruce
Jay Friedman (also original story)
Starring: Michael Cera, Jack
O’Connell, Charles Grodin, Kelis
“Brazzaville Teen-Ager” is a
rather brilliant short film that marks the directorial debut of actor Michael
Cera. Co-written by Cera and Bruce Jay Friendman from Friedman’s own 1966 short
story, this film is no dipping of the toes for Cera as a serious filmmaker.
This is the real deal. He is a bona fide filmmaker, proving it with a confident
short entry.
Cera plays a man whose
father has been hospitalized. He gets it in his head that the only way he can
help his father, whose ailment is a mystery, is to perform a self-effacing act
that will bring humiliation to himself and likely his boss. He enlists his boss
with an insane request to sing back up vocals on a pop star’s latest single.
Yes, yes, yes. This all
sounds very strange, and so it is. That is sort of the point of the main
character, however. He feels what is needed to help is father is something
strange from himself. What is really amazing about the film, however, is Cera’s
ability to carry this tale in a compelling manner. His use of sound is very
deliberate and important to his execution. So much of this crazy idea comes
from the inner mind. Cera communicates that in a direct and artistic manner.
The movie has a very serious
tone to it even though its premise is so strange and it is essentially a
comedy. This serious tone builds up to a punchline that is cleansing once it
finally arrives. I also like what the man’s boss has to say about music after
he’s finished with his role in the endeavor. It really does get into you, just
like this movie does.
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