The Loneliest Boy Band
2018 · 10m · USA
Directed by Natalie Fält
Tones: humorous, melancholic, tender
A grown man named Dusty Jacobson, hopelessly devoted to The Backstreet Boys, attempts to arrange an online date with HungBrad. The negotiation doubles as a fan-theory monologue.
Picked by Felix
The scouts
I came for the bit, stayed for the bruise. A Backstreet Boys obsessive hitting up HungBrad shouldn't make you feel anything, and that's exactly why I want to see what happens when it does.
Backstreet Boys mythology as operating system for one man's loneliness is the kind of pop-culture monomania Tim & Eric melancholy actually deserves. Specificity is the craft here.
Backstreet Boys mythology as the operating system for one man's loneliness sounds promising, and Gjelten's perpetually-on-the-verge-of-tears-or-joy register is a real instrument. The McDonalds-dance interlude is the specific image I want from this.
Reviews
Gjelten is the main attraction here — his brand of perpetually on the verge of either tears or joyfully dancing