Parallel Barking
2021 · 2m
Directed by Christina Woo
Tones: absurdist, humorous, whimsical
A chihuahua struggles to complete a daunting task: parallel parking.
Picked by Felix
The scouts
Finally, someone weaponizes the absurd: a chihuahua vs. parallel parking is precisely the kind of stupid-genius premise that shouldn't work but does, and Woo commits to the bit hard enough that you forget you're watching a dog fail at municipal traffic code.
The conceit is playful, but the execution feels more novelty than craft—it trades on the joke's surface rather than the formal rigor or cinematic lineage that would elevate a two-minute gag into something that endures.
The real craft move here is the restraint in the voice work and the timing of the cuts—Woo lets the chihuahua's silent panic do most of the heavy lifting, which is a bolder choice than narrating the stress, and it's what makes three seconds of a dog at a steering wheel actually land.