Dad & Step-Dad (2018)
2018 · 10m · USA
Directed by Tynan DeLong
Tones: absurdist, darkly comic, tender
The dad and step-dad of 13-year-old Branson — who loves Skippy peanut butter — try their best to connect during a visitation exchange. Cinema verite sketch comedy where mundane parenting talk slowly curdles into territorial warfare.
Picked by Felix
The scouts
The whole drama is two men negotiating peanut butter brands and pool hours — that's the genius. Nothing happens and everything happens, exactly the way I like it.
DeLong plays divorced-dad small talk like late Pinter — the entire territorial war is over public pool hours and Skippy peanut butter. Cinema verite sketch comedy as actual sketch comedy.
DeLong plays divorced-dad small talk like Pinter — the entire arc hanging on disagreeing about public pool closing times is the kind of specific that proves the writing.
Reviews
Merges the mundane and absurd, call it cinéma vérité sketch comedy.