Céline Roustan
Todd, aka Rick-A-Doo, is a musician desperate for a comeback. Struggling for inspiration, he turns to his best friend Archie, a worm living in his sock drawer, for help. Writer/director Jonny Look’s (Assholes) surreal comedy, Write a Song About Heartache, takes a look at the complexities of the creative process when an artist searches for inspiration and seeks success. With its singular visual flair and country music soundtrack, the film perfectly combines its comedic tone with the depth of its narrative.
“I wanted to create a story about someone who doesn’t have a story to tell.”
Given how insane the premise is, it came as no surprise when Look told us that his screenplay emerged from a multitude of ideas. Firstly, he shared that the notion that “an artist needs life experience in order to create meaningful art” stuck with him, prompting him to build a character without any exploits to call upon. Then he added that he “really wanted to make something with music”, especially country music. And finally, he cited a desire to work with a puppet, acknowledging Jim Henson and Pee-wee Herman as inspirations, and confessing that he was ”pretty interested in figuring out how to work with an obviously fake creature, and how to make it feel human”. Blending all these resulted in a musician, with no inspiration, who relies on his best friend, a worm, to write country songs about its own experiences.
Look’s distinct filmmaking, described (in the film’s press kit) as a “playfully surreal style (that) often explores the idiotic to unearth the sincere truth underneath”, perfectly captures the odd pairing that Todd and Archie make, their uncanny friendship being the heart (and “guts” as Look puts it) of the narrative. While Whitmer Thomas portrays Todd, the unmistakable voice of Archie belongs to Mac DeMarco, infusing every word with the genuine affection he has for his best buddy. However, as our worm broadens his horizons, experiencing life outside of the drawer, his tone changes and so do the songs, adding nuance to his newfound pain. The suspension of disbelief in this friendship is mainly down to Thomas’ performance though, as he sells the relationship by nailing all the narrative beats of the story. From sadness, to frustration, and then hope, right until the bitter end.
“For Archie, we had Dump LLC create a hand puppet that was operated by me (mouth and eyebrows), and two others (6 musical nipples with tube pumps)” – Look talking about working with his puppet.
The film’s success is attributed not only to the bizarre premise and strong performances, but also to the quality of the songs, which are surprisingly good at conveying the sadness of country music. Skillfully composed by musician Nick Cross, they perfectly fit the tone of the film, without ever turning into a farce. The puppet is also perfectly crafted, managing to look compelling enough to convey feelings, while also bringing a necessary level of weirdness, and a touch of grossness, to the short. To immerse us in this crazy world, straight out of Look’s imagination, the director collaborated with DP Chris Westlund, choosing a color palette that contributes to the overall tone of the film and camera movements that pair with the songs to create an unsettling mood, which is at times tinged with sadness.
Write a Song About a Heartache had its World Premiere at the 2023 edition of Slamdance, ahead of its online premiere, it had notable selections at Fantasia and Fantastic Fest this Summer. Look is currently working on a feature version of the film and on a new short film.