By George & Josh Bate
For a starving artist desperate to make it into the film industry, hearing the words, “I love your screenplay” from a stranger may prove more moving than hearing, “I love you” from a loved one. It’s this kernel of desperation and resultant pursuit of validation that writer/director Chad Thurman stylistically satirizes in the clever new short film Script Tease.
Script Tease follows Konnor Kursh (played by Jake Gutwillig), an aspiring screenwriter holding onto hopes of a Hollywood breakthrough. In the noir-soaked backdrop of the Chicago skyline, Konnor visits a phone booth, where he calls a hotline to connect him with a seductive stranger (voiced by Cati Glidewell) who provides struggling writers with the words of affirmation they so desperately desire.
Thurman’s short packs a surprising amount of poignant industry commentary and comedy into its brief nine-minute runtime. Likely resonating with anyone with even a modicum of interest in breaking into the movie industry, Script Tease toys with aspiring artists’ needs for someone, or anyone really, to admire their work by having its lead character engage in an anonymous, seductive phone call about the brilliance of his work. It’s a premise that hooks quickly as the satirical manipulation of a sex hotline to serve as a hotline for screenwriters to receive validation is delivered succinctly and clearly in the short.
There’s subtle humor inherent in the film’s clever premise. The visual of a solitary man finding solace in a shady phone booth situated in a seedy urban environment stylized with noir flair immediately leads viewers to expect the (seemingly) inevitable: that the man is intent on engaging in a sexually provocative phone conversation via a hotline. When the alluring voice of Claudia, played with just the right balance of sultry and satirical, kicks in, Script Tease subverts expectations established by its visual trope by revealing that our lead Konnor is not seeking sexual gratification, but, rather, creative validation. Limitations of its brief runtime and small budget mean the short doesn’t take this clever idea beyond the confines of the phone booth, although Konnor’s blend of anxiety and desperation and Claudia’s sultry, nonchalant attitude effectively provoke chuckles and reflection in equal measure.
Bombarded with a seemingly endless array of movies and shows to keep up with nowadays, perhaps Script Tease’s most noteworthy attribute is its originality, both stylistically and subtextually. Thurman directs the short with a fitting disorientation, creatively manipulating the use of color and frequently featuring frenetic edits to silhouettes of Claudia and Konnor’s script. the short also proves novel in the metaphor it explores. Various stories tell the tales of aspiring artists, but Thurman’s short does something unique with this idea in highlighting the depths starving artists will stoop to to receive affirmation, all through a humorous lens. As is the case with the very best of short films, Script Tease bolsters a premise and style that would be fascinating to expand upon in a more substantial project, perhaps even a feature film with a runtime and resources that would allow Thurman to make the most of his clever idea.
VERDICT:
Chad Thurman’s clever new short film Script Tease stylistically satirizes the desperation and pursuit of validation experienced by aspiring screenwriters. Soaked in noir flair with a seedy urban backdrop, the short toys with the aesthetic tropes of a sex hotline to simultaneously poke fun at and poignantly commentate on the extents to which artists will stoop to to achieve even a modicum of affirmation. Lead actor Jake Gutwillig deftly captures this desperation and desire for affirmation with a performance that conveys anxiety and distress while allowing room for levity. Cati Glidewell, meanwhile, voices the alluring hotline worker with a pitch-perfect blend of seduction and satire and her finger firmly on the pulse of the tone Thurman aims for. If you’re in any way an aspiring filmmaker intent on bursting onto the scene, Script Tease will likely resonate quite strongly, while delivering a number of clever laughs along the way.
Check out a trailer for Script Tease below….
