Ringo by Yaara Sumeruk | Dark Comedy Short Film

Director Yaara Sumeruk’s darkly comedic two-hander, Ringo, is a film that will disturb you just as often as it’ll make you chuckle. It’s an undoubtedly weird short—the logline alone tells you that. But, it’s also surprisingly touching. As the film’s crazy antics build and the premise unfolds to our horror/delight, we are given a glimpse into some raw human emotion. In other words, come for the weirdness, stay for the feels.

A film like Ringo works because it manages to give both leads —a middle-aged mother and a “cool” male prostitute—defined character arcs. It’s not just about the unconventional situation (too many shorts would try to get by solely on that). Rather, as the film progresses, we watch as the two protagonists essentially swap places emotionally, the bizarre role play building one player up as much as it brings the other down. It’s a strange, yet also honest appraisal of the human psyche. Oh, and you know, there’s also a simulated birth thrown in there for good measure.

Considering its single location and emphasis on dialogue, it’s not surprising that Ringo is adapted from a stage play of the same name. Sumeruk adapted playwright Chris Davis’s work to fit the screen and then proceeded to raise $10K on Kickstarter to fund the production

Shot in entirely in a hotel room in New York City’s Upper West Side, the acting is the true highlight here. Both stars really sell the films dark, quirky, and ultimately, emotive nature. Via e-mail director Yaara Sumeruk relates the importance of working with actors and rehearsal as a part of her process: “We rehearsed extensively in pre-production to be able to cover the scope of the character’s interactions in a dynamic way. So often in indie filmmaking you don’t have the luxury of rehearsal — having worked with these two wonderful actors on the play and then in pre-production made the experience of shooting incredibly in depth, and I was able to get so much of what I envisioned.”

Sumeruk used Ringo as a way to hone her cinematic a voice—something she’s hoping to further refine for a feature film endeavor. She’s currently writing a dark comedy feature-length script about a teenager who finds her voice through dancing (though, she’s a terrible dancer). Be sure to keep up with her work via her website.