The shorts programme of I Don’t Wanna Force a Smile at BFI London Film Festival brings about some of the most cheeky, hilarious stories of the past year. Social commentaries are put under the funny microscope to reaffirm the stupidity of our most common behaviours.
I Don’t Wanna Force a Smile takes you on a journey of entertainment that is universally understandable and 100% relatable. Each story brings its own theme, but they all work together to help you live future daily situations with a lot more humour than before. Albeit missing a funeral, you will get an overview of the content of this programme and whether or not you want to investigate more.
Without further ado, here are the reviews of said shorts:
Not Surgery Hours
- Year of production: 2023
- Director: Tia Salisbury.
- Writers: Georgina Strawson and Tia Salisbury.
- Producers: Oliver Kendall, Tia Salisbury and Georgina Strawson.
Synopsis
A GP is on a marathon practice run when a man she barely knows asks her for a consultation.
Review
Not Surgery Hours is the best response possible to the NHS current state. For those of you not in the UK… let’s just say the man’s idea in the video is not as mad as it looks. The hilarious narrative highlights a pretty big issue while making you cackle at the absurdity of the whole situation.
Nothing would work without the great performances of Marc Danbury and Georgina Strawson. In their role of patient and doctor, respectively, they deliver a not-so-far-fetched story that develops brilliantly and with a spot-on ending.
The Nobody
- Year of production: 2024
- Director: Razan Madhoon.
- Writers: Andrew Kelly and Razan Madhoon.
- Producer: Paul Barker-Smith.
Synopsis
A man arrives dead at a UK airport from an arrival flight from Egypt. The airport staff argues about the right procedure to follow.
Review
Do you ever get that pleasant tingling sensation when a person’s true nature is revealed through a metaphorical slap? Well, get ready to feel it again with The Nobody. Anyone who has had the pleasure of enjoying the welcoming-as-a-fork-in-your-eye behaviour of Heathrow Airport staff, will feel an instant connection with this account. It is the perfect example of “so real it’s not funny”, but with the perfect ending to tip the disgust-fun balance into the comedic side.
Sarah (Sarah Hadland) is the protagonist of this film, a white woman who has no qualm with letting her actions show her prejudice. The course of the story is fast-paced and just surreal enough to resemble a slow-burn joke.
Overall, The Nobody is a great reminder of how ridiculous and dangerous prejudices are. If anything else, it should make all of us reassess our beliefs and behaviour.
Happy Meat
- Year of production: 2024
- Director: Matt Green.
- Writer: Matt Green.
- Producers: Matt Green and Thea Burrows.
Synopsis
A company named Happy Meat Inc. produces synthetic meat that is supposed to be the perfect alternative to real meat. However, not everything is as good-natured as it looks.
Review
Happy Meat is absolutely disgusting. Not a bad film, but positively revolting. The commentary on savage capitalism through dark comedy is clever, but not especially innovative. The whole zombie subgenre is based on it. Still, this short goes a step further in Cronenbergian twist by creating a what can only be described as a chunk of meat with a mouth.
Said chunk slithers around the fake meat factory, attacking and eating anyone that gets on its way. The immorality of the ending is yet another example of so-real-it’s-not-funny content. Regardless, the film could not finish any other way.
Lovers of body horror and capitalist critique, this one is for you.
Gender Reveal
- Year of production: 2024
- Director: Mo Matton.
- Writer: Mo Matton.
- Producer: Léonie Hurtubise.
Synopsis
Rhys is invited to a gender reveal party and he goes with his two partners. The trans throuple will face a lot more toxic gender culture than they expected.
Review
Gender Reveal is quite simply put, an absolute masterpiece. The use of humour and exaggeration to comment on gender culture is clever and deliciously ironic. Each character has their own defined personality and depth, a feat that not all short films achieve, making them really easy to connect with at different levels.
While this author is a big fan of parties and mysteries, gender reveal parties do sometimes seem a bit backwards, not so much because of their duality, but more so due to how much they have been blown out of proportion. Anyone with a decent use of social media has encountered news of gender reveals killing people, husbands getting aggressive because the baby is not the gender they wished for, and all other sorts of ludicrous behaviours.
The gender of a baby is a nice surprise for the parents and close family, a piece of information that might actually change once said baby grows old enough to decide how they feel. But inviting your co-workers, who barely know you, seems a bit excessive. Then again, it’s nothing compared to everything else about that gathering.
The excess and lack of control or reason are the main catalysts of the story. A narrative that is hysterical and upbeat. It throws shade where it’s needed, has the best metaphor for toxic masculinity ever made, and ends with a killer line.
Dragfox
- Year of production: 2024
- Director: Lisa Ott.
- Writer: John Cooney.
- Producer: Owen Thomas.
Synopsis
A kid is beginning to question their identity. Luckily, a funky fox will open a world of possibilities for him, helping them find their true self.
Review
Why this films is in the comedy section is beyond me. A narrative as important as Dragfox belongs in the Animated Shorts for Young Audiences so much more than in the comedy area. Sure, the story is fun in way, but showcasing the inspiring journey of a child figuring out their identity and finding the bravery to come out to their family is not exactly comedy.
Seeing a fox in a dress and labelling it a comedy instead of treating the content as the crucial lesson that it is for children feels a bit close minded. Of course drag is very closely connected to comedy, but is this short in particular a comedy? This author has some reservations.
Regardless of the more or less fortunate context in which it has been framed, this film is absolutely gorgeous. Both technique and story work perfectly together to deliver a story so tender, so beautiful, so important, that it comes as no surprise when you find yourself smiling and crying at the same time.
In addition to the incredible display of technical abilities and creative writing, the voiceovers are simply marvellous. The innocence and fear of the child contrasts with the deep, sultry and confident voice of the fox, showing a possible future for the child, one in which they are self-assured and happy being exactly who they are.
The Real Thing
- Year of production: 2024
- Director: Charlie Fink.
- Writer: Charlie Fink.
- Producer: Maëva Demurger.
Synopsis
A first date goes out of hand when one part tries to hide his secrets, only managing to make everything worse.
Review
The Real Thing is a great reminder of the importance of being yourself. Not in a cheesy cat poster fashion, but in a very real ‘your relationship can’t work otherwise’ way. This very bloody, very funny tale explores the pressure under which we put ourselves to look normal for the people we like. Sometimes it is easy to lose sight of the fact that you can’t pretend for the rest of your life.
The pressure that characterises the narrative is beautifully channelled by Danny (Thomas Gray) a man who, trying to get rid of an embarrassing object in his house, escalates the problem to deadly proportions. The ironic twist at the end cements what is a very solid, very interesting comedic thriller.
Advice to take from these short films:
- Always try to have a doctor in the family or in your friend circle. You know, someone you can annoy with minor pains.
- Prejudice will only lead to your own ridicule.
- Sadly, most people will always choose money over morality if they feel like they can get away with it.
- Be yourself, being anyone else is way too much effort.
What’s your take? Did you attend the I Don’t Wanna Force a Smile programme at BFI London Film Festival? Have you watched any of these short films? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, in my contact page or through my Instagram! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀
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