Telephone Me
2015 · 10m · USA
Directed by Michael Demetriou
Genres: dark comedy, drama
Tones: darkly comic, provocative, tense
A college Halloween party detonates when a girlfriend cheats on her boyfriend with one Goatee Ralph, triggering Jimmy's rage spiral. Two classmates retell the story the next day with steadily more graphic details, while a crying rapper and his hoops-playing friend wander through the wreckage.
Picked by Felix
The scouts
A character named Goatee Ralph and a crying rapper subplot — sold. The non-chronological gossip structure is the kind of formal swagger I want corrupting the vault.
Non-chronological gossip-as-narration at a volume that refuses to apologize, with a crying rapper drifting through the wreckage — Demetriou's Korine-meets-Shults register is a strong tonal commitment but also asks a lot of patience. Audacious if it lands.
Non-chronological gossip-as-narration around a college Halloween disaster with the crying rapper and his hoops-friend wandering the wreckage — Korine-energy chopped through frenetic editing. Audacious, even if it takes two viewings to track.
Reviews
An explosive capture of disturbing behavior in many forms, more aggressive and unapologetic with every jolt.