Breaking and Entering and Humping

Breaking and Entering and Humping is a new short, written and directed by Jeremy Sless. Now, you might not think that a film with such a crude (though not uninteresting) title would hold the kind of quality I’m about to suggest, but this 25-minute absurdist burglar comedy is about as tightly constructed as any other humour-based movie of its kind. It tells an amusing, twisty narrative centered around two burglars who are stuck in a cupboard while the two inhabitants have sex in the bedroom. As a setup, this concept is relatively standard. And yet, it’s the way in which the scenario is established, and then the subsequent diversions of expectations that makes Breaking and Entering and Humping a successful and highly entertaining work.

Where better to begin than with the outstanding opening shot; the technical peak of the film. What begins as a slow pan around this picturesque cabin suddenly becomes erratic and handheld when the two lovers enter through the doorway. In most dynamic and formally inventive fashion, the camera follows them into the bedroom via the hallway. The shot concludes as the shot moves away from the main subjects and serendipitously lands on the cupboard. It’s quite Hitchcockian for its slick use of visual language to establish a conceit; or you could maybe argue it’s slightly more De Palma for its focus on the lurid and self-reflexive whilst implementing the semiotics of Hitchcock. I mean it as no backhanded compliment to say that this introduction is the highlight of the picture; the rest of the film is well put-together and funny as hell – but this shot demonstrates a level of cinematic ability far above even that.

There’s a lot to love about the gags in this film. As a storyteller, Sless clearly has a strong ability and crafting an overall setup and payoff – and then additional, mini setup and payoffs within the space of a scene. A strong rhythm can be found in the joke-making, and each laugh is cleverly built into the development of the plot. This is a movie which understands that a plot-twist can be inherently funny and thus has a great deal of fun throwing its audience for a loop. It should also be said that, whilst 25 minutes is an uncommon runtime for a short vying for festival success, the runtime couldn’t be more perfect in this instance. This is a flawlessly paced piece.

The style of Breaking and Entering and Humping is just so much fun, and there’s no denying that. If there are any complaints to be found, it’s that one or two jokes don’t entirely land (although that’s obviously subjective), and that the title – though provocative as it is – may limit just how much attention the project receives in an arena of fast, unkind critical appraisal. As a counter though, once you’ve seen the movie, the title couldn’t be more apt and thematically succinct. There’s little doubt that audiences looking for genre-based comedy will be pleased by Sless’ latest.