Boil Short Film Review

alexjames96
Nov 7
2 min read

★★★

Starring: #AshtonPulis, #LolaCooley, #JoshuaMiles

Boil is a short film directed by Griffin Peters; it follows a frustrated character and his strong passion for cooking. He has a dream to open a restaurant with his friend and show case their wonderful and unique skills, experimenting with flavours but the bond between them is really what makes them a strong pair. However, his partner is offered an amazing new role, leaving him in a state of resentment. This is a short that explores themes of friendships and relationships but also the struggles with egoism. Boil focuses on our bitter protagonist as he battles to repress his emotions in turn ruining his friendships, as well as push away those close to him that believe in him as well as support his dreams in life.

One aspect to really admire of this short film is the experimental editing techniques. It was wonderful to see a combination of unique shots and swift cutaways that highlight the friend’s enjoyment of cooking and the vibrancy that comes with sharing food and recipes with friends. It certainly gave this short film an exciting and comforting feel and highlighted the fun and light nature of the pair’s friendship. It’s always good to experiment and explore new and interesting editing styles. However, one thing to note is to not shy away from the long takes. Occasionally, it would have been good to stay with some of the characters a little longer, to really feel some of their reactions and to become locked into their emotional state, especially when the protagonist has had such a huge blow to his dreams. Some shots could have remained as a long take to get the full intensity of the scene. Nevertheless, the cooking scene as well as the pool scene were both noteworthy, one scene was incredibly fun and light whilst the other had deep and powerful connotations that evoke heartbreak and loneliness.

Unfortunately, the audience and the characters around our protagonist can see that ego and perfectionism cloud his perception. Unable to see what he has in front of him and the people that support his dreams and aspirations even before their own. Boil allowed the audience to view the life of an egotistical character, it gave an interesting outlook as we watch his girlfriend, and friends push him to be the best chef he can be. However, he is too narrowminded and wrapped up in his own narcissism to see this support.

Boil was a compelling short film and a great story, showing how self-destruction and rage can blind a person’s perception entirely.