Céline Roustan
Are you ready to go back in time to March 2020? Yes, this is another Covid film, but not the dramatic kind! This is the story of a dysfunctional family, two parents and their millennial daughter, quarantining together under the same roof. In Boomerang, writer/director Rylee Jean Ebsen crafts a charming comedy about three adults forced to face reality as they navigate the ups and downs of their new living situation.
Based on real events, Boomerang provides a refreshing perspective after all the dark, but necessary, stories that came out of Covid. Inviting us to reflect on the absurdity of the situation, what could be more relatable than focusing on a lost millennial, suffering arrested development? I’m sure many of us can remember how we felt like we were just about to “make it” (whatever that meant!), before the pandemic destroyed all of that.
Sydney Steinberg stars as a flailing millennial who is forced to move back into her childhood bedroom.
The idea of going back home as an adult also comes comedically charged, and as Ebsen explains: “Boomerang as a verb means to return to the originator, often with negative consequences”. With cowriter Sydney Steinberg, they opted for a heartfelt and funny tale that relies on its relatability to depict how many millennials felt. “What we’ve all been through is absurd, bizarre, and ripe for turning some of our collective pain into art”, she added.
Ultimately, this is a family drama where the lockdown provides the motivation for three family members to confront the truths they were not yet ready to face, but it’s also a film about the love they share, and how they all support each other. It’s a story of a family who have drifted apart, but who are brought together through the unconventional situation they find themselves in. On the surface, Ebsen’s short is a lighthearted comedy, but some of the topics are heavier than they initially seem with the authentic family dynamic creating a safe space where we feel like everyone is protected, allowing the comedy to prevail. Written, with a sharp sense of humor, most of the jokes come from our behaviors at the beginning of 2020, and how we all went from 0 to 100 so quickly, in terms of sanitization. It also plays with the nostalgia of a walk down memory lane, when as adults we find ourselves back in our childhood bedroom.
Steinberg’s parents played by Phil Abrams and Marin Hinkle
The three family members, played by Steinberg, Phil Abrams and Marin Hinkle, share an incredible chemistry. From the opening scene, we grasp their relationship and as we follow them through their endless days stuck inside the house, we witness every single one of them dropping their masks. As Sarah finally starts to see her parents as human beings with desires, we also witness her parents having to come to terms with the fact that she too is an adult now. While all three hit the comedic beats perfectly, they also bring a lot of sensitivity to their characters making their vulnerabilities compelling, bringing the relatable balance between laughs and heart to the screen.
Ahead of its online debut, that we’re happy to host on S/W, Boomerang made its way around the festival circuit in 2022 with notable stops at the Palm Springs ShortFest and Just For Laughs where it won the Best Narrative Short Award at Eat My Shorts. Next-up, Ebsen will be directing her feature debut, Almost Normal, produced by Mike Medavoy.