LONG STORY SHORT
****
Director: Josh Lawson
Screenplay: Josh Lawson
Principal cast:
Rafe Spall
Zahra Newman
Ronny Chieng
Noni Hazlehurst
Dena Kaplan
Josh Lawson
Country: Australia
Classification: M
Runtime: 90 mins.
Australian release date: 11 February 2021.
Set in Sydney, Josh Lawson’s amusing yet poignant tale, Long Story Short, is a clever reminder that life is short and one must always remember ‘YOLO’ (You Only Live Once)! Lawson not only wrote and directed the film but also has a small role in it, which is not surprising given that he is more widely known as an actor than a writer/director, despite bringing us The Little Death in 2014. Adding to the current spate of good Aussie films that have kick-started the year, this delightful yarn is a contemporary piece that shows how important it is to value our relationships, whether they be romantic in nature or purely platonic.
Teddy (Rafe Spall) mistakenly kisses a stranger, Leanne (Zahra Newman), one New Year’s Eve during a spectacular fireworks display on Sydney Harbour. Cut to sometime later and we see that he is now in a relationship with Leanne, having split from his previous girlfriend Becka (Dena Kaplan), the girl he was with on NYE. During a visit to his father’s grave in Waverley Cemetery, which spectacularly hugs the coastal cliffs of Sydney’s eastern beaches, he meets a mysterious stranger (Noni Hazlehurst) who tells him that in life it is important to not procrastinate and who encourages him not to put off his wedding, saying she’s going to give him a gift. Teddy takes her advice and marries Leanne a fortnight later. During the ceremony, we learn that he has not only found the girl of his dreams but he also has a long-term friendship with Sam (Ronny Chieng), his best man. When he and Leanne return to their home overlooking the ocean at Bronte, they discover a present from an unidentified source, with a card saying “Don’t open for 10 years”. Teddy wakes up the following morning to discover, to his surprise and confusion, that time has moved on - a whole year in fact - and Leanne is a tad miffed that he hasn’t remembered their first wedding anniversary. Teddy’s dilemma doesn’t stop there, however; with no warning, every few hours he is transported another year ahead, to awake again on the day of his wedding anniversary and, each time, he finds his life has taken an entirely unexpected direction.
Spall heads up the small cast and at no point does he fail to deliver a thoroughly engaging performance as a man who is trapped in a situation that is totally surreal. Lawson has provided Long Story Short with a terrific script about a preposterous set-up and it so easily could have become corny but Spall, who’s on screen most of the time, pulls it together beautifully. He ‘ages’ well and is funny in his desperation to maintain his marriage to Leanne. Newman is also very good as a wife who is unnerved by her husband’s behaviour (although we never see this other Teddy; we only see him on the day of his wedding anniversaries. It’s a good ploy). We need to see more of Newman on the big screen. In her brief scenes, Hazlehurst is suitably enigmatic as ‘The Stranger’ and we learn little about her character until the final frames. Ronny Chieng provides a strong supporting role as Teddy’s best mate who has his own dire predicament to face. Tech credits are uniformly excellent.
Long Story Short is a good date movie, one that gives food for thought. Sometimes, only after the passage of time does one realise that a chance or strange encounter can have a profound effect on one’s life. More importantly though, it conveys the message that important relationships and friendships have to be nurtured; they can’t be put off until tomorrow. Remember - YOLO!
Screenplay: Josh Lawson
Principal cast:
Rafe Spall
Zahra Newman
Ronny Chieng
Noni Hazlehurst
Dena Kaplan
Josh Lawson
Country: Australia
Classification: M
Runtime: 90 mins.
Australian release date: 11 February 2021.
Set in Sydney, Josh Lawson’s amusing yet poignant tale, Long Story Short, is a clever reminder that life is short and one must always remember ‘YOLO’ (You Only Live Once)! Lawson not only wrote and directed the film but also has a small role in it, which is not surprising given that he is more widely known as an actor than a writer/director, despite bringing us The Little Death in 2014. Adding to the current spate of good Aussie films that have kick-started the year, this delightful yarn is a contemporary piece that shows how important it is to value our relationships, whether they be romantic in nature or purely platonic.
Teddy (Rafe Spall) mistakenly kisses a stranger, Leanne (Zahra Newman), one New Year’s Eve during a spectacular fireworks display on Sydney Harbour. Cut to sometime later and we see that he is now in a relationship with Leanne, having split from his previous girlfriend Becka (Dena Kaplan), the girl he was with on NYE. During a visit to his father’s grave in Waverley Cemetery, which spectacularly hugs the coastal cliffs of Sydney’s eastern beaches, he meets a mysterious stranger (Noni Hazlehurst) who tells him that in life it is important to not procrastinate and who encourages him not to put off his wedding, saying she’s going to give him a gift. Teddy takes her advice and marries Leanne a fortnight later. During the ceremony, we learn that he has not only found the girl of his dreams but he also has a long-term friendship with Sam (Ronny Chieng), his best man. When he and Leanne return to their home overlooking the ocean at Bronte, they discover a present from an unidentified source, with a card saying “Don’t open for 10 years”. Teddy wakes up the following morning to discover, to his surprise and confusion, that time has moved on - a whole year in fact - and Leanne is a tad miffed that he hasn’t remembered their first wedding anniversary. Teddy’s dilemma doesn’t stop there, however; with no warning, every few hours he is transported another year ahead, to awake again on the day of his wedding anniversary and, each time, he finds his life has taken an entirely unexpected direction.
Spall heads up the small cast and at no point does he fail to deliver a thoroughly engaging performance as a man who is trapped in a situation that is totally surreal. Lawson has provided Long Story Short with a terrific script about a preposterous set-up and it so easily could have become corny but Spall, who’s on screen most of the time, pulls it together beautifully. He ‘ages’ well and is funny in his desperation to maintain his marriage to Leanne. Newman is also very good as a wife who is unnerved by her husband’s behaviour (although we never see this other Teddy; we only see him on the day of his wedding anniversaries. It’s a good ploy). We need to see more of Newman on the big screen. In her brief scenes, Hazlehurst is suitably enigmatic as ‘The Stranger’ and we learn little about her character until the final frames. Ronny Chieng provides a strong supporting role as Teddy’s best mate who has his own dire predicament to face. Tech credits are uniformly excellent.
Long Story Short is a good date movie, one that gives food for thought. Sometimes, only after the passage of time does one realise that a chance or strange encounter can have a profound effect on one’s life. More importantly though, it conveys the message that important relationships and friendships have to be nurtured; they can’t be put off until tomorrow. Remember - YOLO!