Rant

It's probably fair to say that we live in an era where there are a fair few things for people to be ticked off about.

Sick of being discriminated against, underpaid and overworked? Angry at your boyfriend because he doesn’t do anything around the house? Or maybe it’s simply how utterly, utterly annoying LinkedIn is? Everyone has something that pisses them off, and all of our daily irritations can very quickly build up into an unhealthy amount of aggravation.

But how does one address these grievances in a healthy yet fully cathartic way? Rant, from writer/director Damien Brewer might have a solution, solidly presented through this light-hearted yet poignant short film about the comfort found in just simply having someone listen to you.

When a struggling actor (Danmola) attends a rather unorthodox support group to try and take hold of his life, it’s somewhat of a bust. Still, the ranting exercise the therapist tries with this neurotic bunch leads him to leave not so much with a breakthrough, but with an idea.

To anyone and everyone who needs it, he will offer his paid services, to let people let him have it. These people can scream, shout, swear, and rant to him about whatever the hell it is they want to get off their chest (just no hitting, please). So, we get to meet a fleet of unique characters, from those who initially mistake our protagonist’s advert as more of an escort service than a therapy provider, to a more serious sort when people start to catch on and open up. Each new persona indeed brings something of their own to the film, but with differing levels of impact; their varying energies mean the film ebbs and flows quite a bit tonally and are often contrasting with the more grounded nexus that is Danmola, who, it must be said, is excellent with their bashful, less-is-more approach.

It’s a soundly written piece, particularly enjoyable is watching the awkward meet-cute between Danmola and Draganova’s Isabelle blossom into a sweet pay-off. But perhaps the strongest and most impressive facet of Rant is Brewer’s fluidity in presenting their work engagingly and fittingly. The black and white palette choice for the film allows for its focus to be completely on its characters, where it rightly should be, and Brewer is never afraid to mix things up for us, bringing us in closer towards the story and its characters when it needs to, before releasing us back out when things get bigger again, not to mention the inclusion of a highly effective talking heads montage with some of their clients airing their woes (some substantial, some really a bit more petty), all highlighting just some of the innate filmmaking talent within.

Overall, Rant is a commendable film with a strong theme and message which explores not just the freedom from inhibitions that can be gained from speaking freely to a complete stranger, but emphasises just how much of a difference it can make in having a willing ear to bend.