Coping

Filmmaker Tom Murphy’s eccentric yet charming short film coping. is a collage of coping mechanisms presented in a mockumentary fashion with smile-inducing results. 

Across three interviewees, we are presented with the unusual methods these people engage with in order to find peace and calm in their lives. Alex McGonagle, for example, plays a lad sitting at a piano, relentlessly dropping a pencil until it falls just the right way. Murphy cleverly overlaps the sound of the pencil rat-a-tatting over the opening messages about the film’s aim to “celebrate and normalise the diverse ways people find comfort”. The viewer is then regaled by McGonagle on the importance of the pencil dropping (pens work fine too, apparently). The performance is understated, emotive, and the serene music behind Alex’s character’s story creates a powerful opening chapter to the short film. 

This is juxtaposed by the quirky and energetic character played by Michelle Taylor, whose penchant for spinning in a chair makes her a dramatic left turn for the movie. The music changes pace and the audience is starting to piece together the differences and similarities between these eccentric behaviours. There’s a wonderful line in the script about how she would need to frequent Ikea all the time if she lost her chair that will likely elicit a few chuckles. 

By the final story, a man (John O’Gorman) whose plethora of voice notes reveal a soul in dire need of positive reinforcement, our understanding of the picture being painted by Murphy is clear. 

Brevity is keenly apparent here; the short film could easily have stretched to dozens of tales just like these three, and perhaps the piece does suffer a little from scratching too shallowly. That being said, the audience could have grown weary from a plotless film with isolated characters whose only connection is their coping mechanisms for their neurodivergence.

The look and feel of coping. as a short film is carefully yet professionally presented. There is a tonal awareness that complements the characters being presented, as well as the topics of anxiety, neurodivergence, and behaviour that could be construed as “eccentric” (which may be a misunderstanding on people’s part). Viewers will love the framing of each character, utilising static shots, in true documentary style, which allows the subject to take centre stage, eschewing any filmmaking frivolity which may just be distracting. 

There is an offbeat energy to Tom Murphy’s coping. that will undoubtedly resonate with a large number of viewers. Whether you are aware of your own coping mechanisms in life or not, this is introspective storytelling done brilliantly and will likely leave you pondering your own habitual strategies for dealing with this thing we call life. 

Now, if you’ll excuse me, time for me to turn the light on and off 27 times exactly.