Heart Failure
2022 · 10m · USA
Directed by Will Wightman
Genres: drama, musical, romance
Tones: melancholic, tender, theatrical
Frank watches his romance with Lizzie slip into static and tries to song-and-dance his way out of another devastating breakup, paranoia mounting with every chorus.
Picked by Felix
The scouts
Most breakup shorts are two people staring through a window. This one decided to be a musical. Higher difficulty, higher reward — and reportedly pulled it off.
A breakup spiral choreographed as EDM musical — Wightman trusts the form to do the paranoia for him, which is the right instinct. Sondheim-via-Pitchfork is generous but not unearned.
Staging a breakup spiral as an EDM musical is a swing, and the page summary's 'impeccably crafted and energetic' read like the choruses are actually doing the emotional lifting. Paranoia routed through snappy edits instead of monologue — I'd watch for the song-to-cut ratio alone.
Reviews
Impeccably crafted and energetic, filled with charismatic performances and vivid lyricism — music coalesces perfectly around stylish images and snappy pacing.