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★★★
Directed by: #HarveyPuttock
Starring: #LucyHiltonJones and #AnninaKaski
I can imagine being an actor is hard on so many levels. I mean my life is an act considering how much I fake my happiness every day then cry into a void of existential despair, but in order to do that I have not had to jump through the many hoops that actors do on a daily basis.
Auditions, agents, reading scripts, changing your appearance to suit others needs, the list goes on, oh and of course all of the rejection. To be honest I could think of more fun things to do with my time....have you tried the crying into despair game? Loads of fun.
The Many Faces of Beth Jones is the tale of an actress (played by Lucy Hilton Jones) who has to sit through another tedious meeting with her agent, who has a long list of up and coming projects that she thinks Beth would be perfect for.
Problem is not one of these films are worth anything to anyone, and certainly would not be appealing to any actor trying to make serious moves in their career. With choices such as ‘’Buffering, the Movies’’ and ‘’The Last Banana’’ (films which sound absolutely amazing in my point of view, I mean...The Last Banana, on par with Schindler's List’ I’m sure) we can see quickly that this agent does not have a lot to offer.
As the options get worse and worse, we can see our leading lady sink more and more into despair, until it’s not long until she puts a stop to the whole charade after the suggestion that she plays a film whereby she plays her own agent...but wait, what’s going on, are we breaking the fourth wall?
That’s right reader...she did make a short about her being her own agent, who would've guessed...well me for one.
Yes director Harvey Puttock does the old flip around storyline for us, and although we have seen it time and time again, his tongue in cheek approach to the subject allows us to let it slide and see the funny side of the whole affair.
For that’s the whole premise of short film The Many Faces of Beth Jones, a platform to have a little laugh at the state of affairs for the actors within in the industry, and while this does not pack a laugh out loud punch, it’s still entertaining, enjoyable and light hearted, but also still leaves us feeling a little empathetic for all the crap actors must have to go through while they chase their big break.
With acting that is satisfying and competent and a style that although screams budget, is able to create the cramped and depressing atmosphere of an agent's office, this short does everything it says on the tin.
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