CLAC | Omeleto

From the creator

A mother has an announcement. A family has gathered for dinner at a chic Chinese restaurant. Their genial night out, though, is interrupted when the mother has an announcement: she's going to kill herself that night. The family takes in this shocking pronouncement and news, destabilizing any pretense of equanimity and civility. (Even the senile grandmother seems affected by what's unraveling.) The resulting freakout uncovers a whole series of secrets, resentments and unspoken truths lingering under the surface. The "fraught family dinner" is a familiar trope of many short dramas, and rightfully so: the structure brings together a gamut of conflicting personalities, agendas and needs and creates a powder-keg of an emotional situation that often makes for great writing and performances. This short -- written and directed by Fabien Ara with great assurance -- takes on this familiar narrative terrain, but applies a sharp, stylish gloss on it, making for a showcase of barbed wit and consistently engaging energy. The film's look and feel is the first clue that this is no ordinary family drama, with darkly gleaming, almost sinister cinematography and elegant camera movements and framing. But as the family settles into their meal and the action unfolds, the film language emphasizes tight close-ups on each member's face, balanced by clever, fast-paced editing that derives sardonic humor from perfectly timed reaction shots to the increasingly outlandish emotions. Viewers get a se

Published 2021-06-22 · Watch on YouTube ↗
Availability and playback restrictions are controlled by the original channel.