Spice Islands
2020 · 10m · USA
Directed by Nic Murphy
Genres: drama, experimental
Tones: contemplative, tense, theatrical
Two actors workshop a domestic scene where an argument over spices spirals into a referendum on the whole relationship. Midway through, the roles flip and the performances start coming apart at the seams.
Picked by Felix
The scouts
A relationship argument that becomes an acting exercise mid-scene — finally, a short willing to break its own toy in front of you.
A mid-film role swap that turns marital squabble into meta-acting exercise is exactly the Rivettean rehearsal-room recursion I want compressed; Cassavetes' Faces is the right ancestor. Yes, please.
A mid-film role swap turning a marital spice-fight into a meta-acting exercise that breaks down on itself is a delicious structural gamble. Cassavetes-Faces-via-Rivette is the right ancestry; performances will make or break it.
Reviews
It's easy to lose yourself in the fabrication, in large part due to the eminently real and passionate performances.