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★★★
Directed by: Waylon Bacon
Written by: Waylon Bacon
Starring: Waylon Bacon
This is a short film that many people are likely to identify with. That is because the plot is about the COVID-19 pandemic that, at the time of writing, is still active all over the world.
The story takes place in the United States during the coronavirus lockdown. An unidentified man is in his apartment, wearing a surgical mask and gloves for protection against the virus and is about to go out to the pharmacy, in order to pick up a prescription because he has a heart condition. When he reaches the door he hears someone coughing. He looks through the spyhole and sees his neighbour, Larry. Larry is constantly coughing and does not appear to be acknowledging that there is a deadly virus outbreak. He refuses to leave, so that Bro (what Larry calls him) can go to the pharmacy safely, insisting that they go together and starts singing the Star Spangled Banner. Eventually Larry passes out and Bro, believing that Larry is dead, phones the emergency services who inform him that he must remain at the scene until the body is removed. Bro stays inside then suffers a heart attack and dies, while Larry regains consciousness and carries on singing.
Despite the fact that the narrative involves a real-life virus outbreak, the film could be categorized as a dark comedy. It could be viewed as a satirical look into the stupidity of covidiots. Just to clarify a 'covidiot' is a word used to describe the individuals who ignore health advice about COVID-19. Larry is shown to be a covidiot because although he seems to have the virus as he has a continuous cough, he is outdoors for no serious reason and does not keep a distance from other people. By remaining outside Bro's door, he causes his death, and although that is depicted humorously in the film, it is also a sad reality. The reality being that not following the rules against the virus causes lives.
Although the film is less than three minutes long and was shot and edited in three days, Waylon Bacon's creativity deserves a great deal of praise. He played both characters seen in the film and he did so very convincingly. He effectively manages to present Larry's character as another individual by only showing him through Bro's point of view shots from inside the spyhole and by having Larry wear a beard and a cap. He then had fellow filmmaker Elias Santos provide the voice for Larry. It should also be pointed out that the point of view shots through the spyhole are very well constructed as is the rest of the film, especially if one takes into account that Bacon used his cell phone camera in order to film this entire project.
Bro is a very short film but it contains elements that people from all over the world will understand, as one way or another everyone is affected by the coronavirus outbreak. It is a comic tale that has a strong message: that ignorance is dangerous.
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