Carlyn Hudson | Through the Shattered Lens

I do love a good short film. I love a good comedy horror and loathe the ones that are terrible like this garbage trash “Origin” that I reviewed last year: https://unobtainium13.com/2021/10/06/origin-film-review-by-case-wright/ I’m not saying that the person who unleashed “Origin” or any terrible Short Film should be imprisoned forever, but I’m not saying that they shouldn’t either- Listen, I’ll back your play.

Waffle was ….. not bad. There were some stunners last year. I mean true artworks and please if you have the ability to hire these actors, writers, and directors – please call them. I’ll spot your month’s IMDB Pro dues if you do. *winks with sexy Italian eyebrows, makes click sound – Sup?*

Kate Marovitch and Kerry Barker created Waffle and they hit a number of good points. It’s a self-contained story. They were on a budget, but made the film look awfully slick. There’s a clear plot and narrative thread. I put this short-film in the good category, which I don’t give out lightly. Shorts are a unique storytelling artform- Every word matters and every second matters. I wouldn’t mind seeing another one of their shorts; however, I’d like to see what they could create for a series.

The short takes our phone induced isolation to another level. In this world, you rent friendship and love with a finger swipe, but Katie uses the evil Tinder to find her victims. Yes, this plot is straight-forward, but it had some funny lines and a heart. They are tapping into the interpersonal relationship version of there are “ten-thousand channels and nothing’s on.”

I don’t want to spoil the ending and would recommend this ten-minutes for you. Yes, you!

Can I get a connection?

The 10 minute short film, Waffle, begins with what appears to be a sleep over. Kerry (Kerry Baker) and Katie (Katie Marovitch) are both sitting on a couch in their pajamas, talking about a time when they hung out with the cutest boys in their class and they all ended up making out in someone’s car. There’s a lot of giggling and hugging and most viewers won’t buy it for a second.

It’s not just the fact that both of the women appear to be a little bit older than the usual sleep over participants. In fact, neither one appears to still be in high school. It’s also hard not to notice that, for two best friends, Katie and Kerry really don’t seem to know each other that well. When Kerry is trying to tell the story about a night that she and Katie hung out together, Katie keeps interrupting her and telling her to change the details. Katie is also quite insistent that Kerry will have waffles, despite Kerry’s lack of enthusiasm for the idea. When Kerry mentions that her friend Rapahel (Raphael Chestang) is coming by, Katie does not react well to the news.

Things only get stranger from that point on. Katie is someone who is not only used to getting what she wants but who also has the money necessary to make sure that no one ever says no. Kerry has her own motivations but it doesn’t take long to notice that she doesn’t seem to be particularly enthusiastic about spending too much time with her “best friend.” The film goes from being a comedy to a drama to back to being a comedy to being …. well, I don’t want to give away too much. Let’s just say that a lot happens in just ten minutes.

Waffle is a clever look at the struggle to make a connection in an increasingly isolated community. Katie Marovitch alternates between being menacing and being almost sympathetic in the role of Katie while Kerry Cook’s performance keeps the story grounded in an identifiable reality.

It’s on Prime, at least through May 6th so, if you’ve got ten minutes to spare, be sure to check it out.