Rite of Way

A short comedy written and directed by Riley Helm and starring Tyra Morrison, Doug Simpson, Steve Moulton, Maria Pinsent and Sharron Shayne.

Four educators have gathered at their school for an unusual meeting. They are all wearing black robes, they have lit candles all around the large room that they are in and they are chanting. Why? The summer holidays are ending, the new school year is beginning and they need to determine something. By luck, they intend to find out who is going to teach driver's education for the next semester, a task that none of them are keen on. The process is interrupted by the late arrival of Cherie (Morrison), a young teacher and when she has the misfortune of having the unwanted job landing on her, she refuses to commit.

The beginning of this ten-minute-long film is quite amusing: chanting is heard, so is creepy music and four people dressed in black robes are in a darkened room. Initially, it seems that this is going to be a creepy horror film involving rituals. Then, one realises that the chanting contains lyrics that relate to being a school teacher and that this 'ceremony' is not to be taken seriously. This funny short is filled with minor arguments and sarcasm and most of the plot revolves around Cherie's stubborness.

The amusing and sometimes over-the-top performances are one of the majot strengths of this film. All the cast behave like children arguing and complaining and watching them do so, dressed in black robes like they are part of a sinister cult is rather humorous. As the one who ends up facing having to do the dreadful driving education job, Cherie is a good-natured person who also seems unwilling to play fair, even though she is the one whose luck determined that she should be the one. As Prinicipal Dan and apparently the leader of the group, Simpson is quite entertaining and so is Pinsent, whose character tries to talk some sense into Cherie. Moulton is less friendly as Kyle, a physical education teacher who is not very sympathetic. Although Shayne has less on-screen time than the others, she stands out as the wisecracking Ingrid who uses a wheelchair.

Even though this is a light-hearted comical story, it still explores serious themes. The conversations that take place during this awkward meeting involve subjects about fairness and gratitude, while they also cover sef-esteem and self-reflection.

This is a short that offers ten minutes of entertainment thanks to the acting and the screenplay. It can be viewed as a fun experience and can also be considered in more serious perspectives because of the themes that it contains.