Céline Roustan
Life is full of interactions, some weirder, more awkward or intense than others. Most of the time we perceive those moments as strange because we are missing key information…the bigger picture. In Bizarro World, A Short Film Series, directors Jonathan Salmon and Abdi Ibrahim craft four scenes that perfectly capture these absurd exchanges. With an entertaining and engaging intensity, this quartet of very short stories expertly recreate the confusion and chaotic energy we would experience if we were to witness them right in front of our eyes.
Penned by Jonathan Salmon and Khari Johnson, also credited as producer, they shared that “this series started out as a fun, satiric, writing exercise”, inspired by the “bizarre behavior” they’ve witnessed in Los Angeles over the years. Then, as luck would have it, both directors stumbled upon similarly odd events after they started developing this series. Struck by the “materialistic and absurd motives” they witnessed first hand, they decided to depict those moments, which on the surface appear to be “weird” and “absurd” but are actually worth paying attention to.
The intensity and unusual aspect of the situations makes them instantly captivating. There’s an almost voyeuristic experience when watching them, where we want to know what will happen next and how the tension will be defused. The events happen so fast that we don’t really have time to grasp the “bigger picture” and it’s only when the stories end that we begin to question the rest of the story. Ultimately, the goal of the filmmakers was to make us “think twice about the simple things we brush off as comedic, and tap into that universal feeling of ‘man, I wish someone had recorded that.’” The film also addresses our tendencies to jump to conclusions, and how quickly we label what is bizarre or absurd.
Each of the four scenes in Bizarro world start in a wide shot before slowly getting closer.
Following the same formula for all four scenes, the visual aesthetic is pleasant and the color palette and location choices make the LA setting identifiable. With all of the sketches taking place in very mundane environments, we’re given the impression that these are situations we could easily stumble upon in our everyday lives. While from the sound remains the same throughout each scenario, shot in one continuous take, the camera slowly zooms into to the “action”. This camera movement slowly changes the scene from a random happening between strangers, witnessed from afar, to an actual interaction with “real” people with “real” motivations. While the film is based on how ridiculous those scenes feel at first sight, the emotional depth slowly reveals itself, leaving a lasting impact.
Bizarro World, A Short Film Series is having its World Premiere on Short of the Week ahead of hitting the IRL festival circuit. The filmmakers are currently working on a few new projects including a feature-length version of Backyard Barber (the third tableau), another scripted short film and a second feature-length screenplay.