HSFF2022: Dark Comedy Shorts Bring Up More Than Just a Chuckle

Dark comedy is an interesting genre. It gives those participating the license to inject humor into serious or painful subject matters. Films that fit into this genre often have the ability to invoke a discomfort that can lead to discussion or deep thought as nothing is off limits, including death. At this year’s HollyShorts Fest, six short films made their way into this genre covering topics from isolation to toxic friendships.

Brutalia, Days of Labour
What would happen if human societies functioned like a colony of bees? Director Manolis Mavris brings the answer to the screen in this film by following a worker bee in training. As she observes the rules of the hive, she struggles with accepting what she witnesses and her role in working for the good of the colony. This leads her to make an interesting choice.

The Housesitters
Erin Pineda and Matt McConkey are the writers and stars of this film about two wannabe famous best friends who agree to be housesitters for their actually famous pal Jules. When they learn the house they’re staying in was once the site of a vicious murder, they get scared that someone may be trying to replicate the heinous crime.

Malleable
Lena Waithe executive produced this film from screenwriter and director Justin Floyd about a father so desperate to provide for his son that he’s willing to endure total humiliation for high wages.

Help Me Mary
Written and directed by Annie Tippe, Mary is a hospice nurse devoid of compassion and on the verge of a breakdown. At the end of a shift, she runs into a man with a very strange dilemma. While helping him deal with his situation, she inadvertently ends up helping herself.

Little Cuts
Formerly childhood friends, Jo and Pam head to the desert for a birthday getaway and a chance to reignite their friendship. While on their trip, their lopsided relationship comes to a head as the reality of their bond is exposed.

Shark
Nash Edgerton stars opposite Rose Byrne in this film about Jack, a man whose love language is pranking. Unable to maintain relationships in the past, he’s finally met his equal in Sofie, who enjoys pranking herself. Their loving rivalry to outdo each other leads to an unimaginable misadventure.

You can catch all these shorts and more on the Bixpix app, the official streaming app of the HollyShorts Film Festival.