Mann
2020 · 10m · USA
Directed by Kyle Sawyer
Tones: absurdist, melancholic, tender
A mannequin at a vintage clothing store falls for his human co-worker. A nearly silent drama about loneliness that takes a premise built for a gag and plays it for genuine ache.
Picked by Felix
The scouts
Everyone writes off the mannequin-falls-in-love premise — which is exactly why this one's interesting. It refuses to wink, and somehow that's the most subversive move available.
A mannequin-as-protagonist played with deadly sincerity instead of as a joke — Aki-Kaurismaki longing inside the dumbest premise of the year. That's how craft alchemy works.
A mannequin-as-protagonist conceit played with deadly sincerity instead of as a one-note joke — nearly silent drama is the right discipline for this. The Kaurismaki-longing comparison is the whole pitch.
Reviews
Spins what could easily have been a cheap gimmick into unexpectedly moving territory.