Chekhov's Bun

The new one-room action thriller Chekhov’s Bun is riveting, shocking and a great deal of fun. Writer-director Beau Fowler’s short film is about a woman, with a husband and daughter, who is struggling with the preparation of some baked goods for her daughter’s birthday party. Part way through the preparation, a man appears; a face from a past long forgotten. He persuades her to return to a life of crime and leave this comfortable family bubble behind, but she’s not having it... and it’ll take a fight to the death to convince her otherwise.

From a practical filmmaking point of view, the setup is ingenious; basing everything that happens in one kitchen means that the geography is clear, and the director is able to turn the limitation of a single-room setting into a weapon – much like our ex-assassin protagonist and the many ways she finds to utilise her domestic surroundings to her tactical advantage. An essential aspect of the setup working well lies in the kinetic, Raimi-meets-John-Woo nature of the cinematography. Seemingly every shot consists of some dynamic movement of the camera – either with the intention of revealing some further information within the shot, or to mimic/complement the intensity of motions from our subjects on screen.

It’s refreshing to see someone understanding why wide-angle lenses exist. Critics frequently point to their overuse in the current landscape of cinematography – the fact that many DPs seem to be building their whole visual style around an 18mm without apparently comprehending what a lens like that can and can’t accomplish on a level of composition and camera blocking. Yet here, the filmmakers know that it’s the perfect way to capture speed and agility; to pull the audience into the action through a dynamic push-in, or how to implement a dolly shot to shrewdly place an item of importance in the foreground. This style works even better in a tight environment because it places something the audience is familiar with (a kitchen) into a fresh cinematic context.

Addressing what might be a common complaint, you could easily argue that the plot is contrived. And whilst certainly many titles match in premise (an early set-piece in the first Kill Bill movie comes to mind), the fact is, a short film is a different beast. Often, a short-form work exists as a space of play, experimentation, and a method in which to showcase talent. The talent on display here is obvious from the outset – the visuals being the thing – and frankly, as soon as we get to the fighting, we level up a notch. The choreography is outstanding – every beat clearly thought-through, every increment of movement and timing rehearsed until it’s perfect. For a short film, the arrangement of this fight scene is an awesome achievement.

If you’re a fan of action movies, I would highly recommend Chekhov’s Bun. The short exists to deliver pure thrills through balletic action, and does so exceptionally well with the help of some sturdy visual work behind the camera. Starring Amelie Leroy and Eric Lim as her kitchen opponent.