Boomslang 2: The Dinner

Extraordinary things are taking place inside a restaurant.

This dark comedy short is the follow-up to the multi-award-winning Boomslang of 2020 and it provides quite a humorous and entertaining experience.

Basically, the narrative consists of two stories that are connected, both of which take place in the same restaurant that is called 'The Second Wife'. A man named Erik Boomslang enters this eating establishment and after a brief and awkward conversation with the owner, he sits at a table. Shortly after, the ghost of a woman who was murdered by him appears. That woman was Harriet and she is in a rather cheerful mood. The two of them have a friendly conversation about the afterlife and she explains that the purpose of her arrival is to prevent Erik from killing again. The second story involves a friendly gentleman named Barnard, a wealthy philanthropist, who meets a group of three youngsters at the restaurant, with the intention of helping them.

Right from the start, this amusing film attracts the viewer's attention with cheeky and awkward dialogue. There is talk about what it is like being in Heaven, about deceased celebrities, an argument with a waiter and a Fosse dance. There is dark humour, adult humour and the conversations are interesting and fun to listen to.

The protagonists deliver entertaining performances and it is clear that they are having fun with their character. Flynn, Willingham and Oliver are quite amusing in portraying cheerful individuals and Vincent is pretty good as a calm and laid back serial killer.

Adam Gharib does a great job with the cinematography and special mention goes to the clothing. The music that is heard throughout has a sort of comedic tone and effectively accompanies the scenes. Praise also goes to the dance scene which is wonderfully choreographed by Jahna Frantziskonis.

This short is an entertaining experience with well-written dialogue, interesting characters and performances that succeed in being quite a joy to watch. Throughout its twelve-minute duration it never loses its ability to be comical and it will most likely provide the audience with a good laugh.