Review: The Last Straw (Big Fridge Productions)

Big Fridge Productions presents The Last Straw, a short film about the relatable topic of being in a turbulent and failing relationship. Seems cliché? But, hay! This story has a refreshing twist to reflect themes of heartbreak and incompatibility, which makes it hugely enjoyable to watch. The consistent scriptwriting and filming accumulate brilliant tongue-in-cheek moments that develop the plot seamlessly. Running at under 5 minutes, the sharply edited scenes suck you into the world that director, William Ross, sets up, and one that you don’t want to leave.

Following the lives of Lily and Quin, in their seemingly perfect relationship, the plot unravels quickly to reveal a prickly situation. I particularly enjoyed how it is inherently meta, with the actors giving a nod to the black comedy genre, with smirks and eye rolls. It is almost as if they are ironically aware that it is a ridiculous situation, and yet we are all in it together to follow it through and see the ending. This film is excellently structured despite its rapid running time and has a clean beginning, middle and end.

The production team were given 48 hours to write, film and edit this, and what a credit it is to everyone who worked on this project. They ticked all the boxes, capturing perfect pace and humour in such a short amount of time; I would love to see more from the team of writers: Conor Norrington, Alex Ottie, Bradley Strotten and Ed Rees. Funny, bitter-sweet and original, The Last Straw deserves all the credit it is going to receive and I wish it the best of luck in the future. This is not a film to hit the hay on.