Pickle Vision

Do you like pickles on your burger? Half of you reading this just salivated, and the other half threw up a bit in your mouth. That divisive reaction is likely to be similar to the audience reactions to this short film, Pickle Vision, from filmmaker Shawn Welles Linzey.

A surrealist piece, bursting at the seams with creativity, the story follows an old man known as K (Merle Racer) who finds a new lease of life after interacting with a pickle on television (stay with me here). What ensues is a series of bizarre sequences involving K, the pickle in various guises, and different visuals seemingly filmed on the fly with graphics superimposed on the walls for effect.

As a piece of filmmaking, it has a fighting spirit, reinforced by the punk rock soundtrack. In fact, the whole 17-minute short film could have been a music video for a band like The Red Hot Chilli Peppers. There is an odyssey quality to the story and a starkness to the visuals that sees it play out in a far more ethereal way than traditional storytelling.

Whilst the short film may not be accessible for everyone, there are some impressive moments in the movie for those whose wheelhouse this falls into. The use of dark background and vibrant colours gives it a hypnotic aesthetic, and there is something intriguing about the old man contemplating his life and finding a surge of motivation in something so unusual. Pointed jabs at consumerism and capitalism are also present in Pickle Vision, as is a splendid reimagining of culturally important events spruced up with the inclusion of, you guessed it, a pickle.

There is also a section where the pickle dresses as a witch and rides alongside K’s car on a broomstick - so it has that going for it too.

At times, the obsession with a pickle character reminded me of Rik and Morty; however, the general atmosphere of the film is more like fringe theatre. There is a wildness and humour to the proceedings which regularly challenges the viewer, asking them to make what they will of the visuals being presented and what they could mean. Some viewers may come out baffled, others may contemplate their own existence and the meaning of life, it just depends on how you like your burger made, really.