Freelancer - a short film by Rosco 5

As Freelancer begins, its star, Babak Ganjei, speaks to the audience. Via second-person narration that is a mix of a career-day job explainer and a send-up of an inspiration-porn shoe advert, Ganjei extols the life of a creative freelancer in what is a fairly concise encapsulation of the entire feel of the project:

“Free from the rat race. Free from the trappings of structure and stability, a mortgage, the respect of your parents. You chose this life, you chose freedom, you chose…you.”

Obviously, there is gentle mocking here—the pompous send-up, only to have it subtly undercut with a dry dig. But, emphasis on gentle. This is not a venomous thrust against the precarity of the freelancer life, the film is, at its core, a character comedy built around the unique talents of Ganjei, as he naively explores the struggles and humiliations of being a 42-yr old dad that still exists as a kid fresh out of school would. Loosely autobiographical, while these travails are mined for comedy, there is also a degree of sincerity that is inescapable—Ganjei is willing to poke fun at his status as a certain kind of Peter Pan figure, but will not apologize for pursuing the creative life.

“Art as Detention” by Babak Ganjei

A British-Iranian artist (of varying success) for over two decades, and exceedingly prolific on Instagram, where he has cultivated a minor cult following, Ganjei has a lot of material to mine. This film, adapted by the prominent UK production company Blink Industries and the directing duo Rosco 5, is from a comic book Ganjei wrote, but even at only 8min long, it has rhythm of a repeatable TV setup, with an A-plot concerning Ganjei navigating a birthday dinner for his ex and B-plot centered on a scene where a bow-tie manufacturer weasels into paying Ganjei for his freelance work in free product. It is no surprise therefore to learn that a potential TV series is in the works. From Ganjei,

The film is a tribute to making a success out of years of persistent failure, and nearly getting there in the end. Over the last twenty years I’ve been working in all different mediums as an artist, writing comic books, and playing in bands for, the most part, to little return, and collaborating with Blink on this film is a consolidation of all those things in one place. The artworks decorate the scenes, the comics are brought to life and the music soundtracks the film. It’s as if it was building to this.

Ganjei's workspace with his trademark naive style art decorating the space

Ganjei’s workspace in the film, with his trademark naive-style art decorating the room.

It is quite the showcase. A mixed-media film in which live-action segments will seamlessly segue into animated sequences based on Ganjei’s comic art style, the 8min is not just funny, but visually fresh. Art Director Ellen Amann Johns makes the most out of very little and, in the hands of Rosco 5, the visuals often are able to perfectly enhance punchlines or create comedy all by themselves.

While the directors joke that they were attracted to the material because “there’s a lot of money in comic book adaptations”, there is something slightly quixotic about hoping to craft a starring vehicle around a figure like Ganjei who has neither immense fame nor movie star looks. However, Freelancer is so charming, and Ganjei is such a charismatic performer as a kind of sad sack yet never defeated figure, that it makes perfect sense to try. Blink Industries accomplished the improbable in getting cult-favorite Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared onto British television this past fall, and it would be great if they can continue that streak. Even if they can’t though, we will still have this short, which, modest in some ways, is still just about perfect—the exposition is perfectly modulated, our connection to the premise and character is instantaneous, and nearly every joke lands. 10/10, no notes.