Simply Perfect

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Blistering performances.

"Interesting Ball" is a 13-minute English-language short film from 2014. The directors are Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert and the latter is also one of the writers here. This was the first time I saw it and I must say it felt like a fairly underwhelming watch. It is basically a spoof of all kinds of other films and genres, but that alone is not enough for me to appreciate the film. But it has to be enough in this one as Kwan and Scheinert offer nothing more beyond being a mediocre parody. Some moments are slightly funny, other moments aren't funny at all. As a whole, I think the rating here on IMDb is far too high and I do believe that all the writers who worked on this project need to improve in their craft if they want to make it big some day, especially when it comes to giving a film an individual note. So yeah, the cast is so-so, not bad, but not memorable either, no big names working on this little movie, but this is usually the case with short films. Title could have been better too, slightly on the pretentious side (Red Balloon reference?). Don't watch.

A red ball bounces down the street. Brothers unite in solidarity when one of them is hurting. A woman mourns her dead husband Mike and is not sure how she should continue. A young woman finds something wonderful in an unusual dating experience. A man struggles with the knowledge that his wife is cheating on him. Life. The Universe. Love. Unity. Peace. Red Ball.If the plot summary of this sounds like the worst most pompous thing you've ever heard then this is deliberate. From the opening scene of a red ball bouncing down the street while life occurs all around it, the film continues this tone with delicate "isn't the universe amazing" music and tone, as different scenes play out. The short film is not really delivering this type of film but is rather twisting it, since most of this film is ridiculous but played with a straight face. I will not ruin the film by telling you specifics, mainly because the surprising randomness of it all was basically what worked for me. The events that unfold from simple "life- affirming" scenes are absurd and in this way I guess they could split the audience.I can understand why many would think it was just randomness and silliness for the sake of it; but also why others think it is brilliant. For me it sort of falls in the middle since the more extreme parts didn't work quite as well as some of the more delicate moments, but generally it is very clever, very funny and very well delivered. It is the consistent straight face of the piece that makes it work as it does, and it is pretty impressive that the film manages to mock this sort of "we're all y'know, one, yeah?" rubbish while also capturing and delivering it perfectly too.Technically the film is of a high standard. Okay the effects are not quite seamless, but they are still impressive and creative, while the film itself looks good with sharp images and good color. It is the absurdity mixed with the straight-faced delivery that makes it work very well though; perhaps a bit too random for some tastes (it was touch and go for me a few times) but it is worth a look because it is very well done.