Couch
2018 · 10m · USA
Directed by Michael Bernieri
Genres: dark comedy, drama
Tones: absurdist, darkly comic, tense
Two friends never leave the couch as their opposing views on work, money, and "participating in the world" detonate the relationship. A darkly comic two-hander about entitlement versus independence.
Picked by Felix
The scouts
One couch, two women, zero exits — the staging itself is the argument. Constraint as drama, which is the only kind of drama that actually works.
Bernieri stages a Pinter argument on one piece of furniture, then cuts and scores it like a thriller — the hyperactive edit is what keeps the bottle from going flat. Sharp but a touch self-pleased.
Single-location bottle film built on one piece of furniture, staged like a play but cut hyperactively — the contrast between theatrical staging and plunky soundscape is the kind of formal tension I'm here for.
Reviews
A darkly comedic drama featuring a hyperactive edit and plunky soundscape.