Toasted

A troubled man has a conversation with his landlord and things turn bad.

Mike (Murphy) is a young man who is going nowhere in life. He has substance addictions and has gotten into trouble with the law. He pays a visit to his landlord (Stone) and after the two of them discuss Mike's problems, the landlord tells him that he is going to evict him. Mike does not take it well and reacts dramatically.

This short dark crime drama focuses on a youngster who is living a meaningless life. The opening shot reveals that Mike has issues by showing pill containers and a box of beer on a table, which also sums up his negative lifestyle. When he goes to his landlord's apartment later, that is when it is revealed how low he has fallen. The landlord explains that Mike has been a long-term drug addict, who has failed to pay his rent for a while, yet he has tried hard to support him. Finally, he tells Mike that he must move, which pushes him over the edge. Approximately the first half of the film is a hard-hitting drama about addiction and desperation, which then turns into a thriller.

The two protagonists are quite contradicting between them. The landlord comes across as caring, showing sympathy towards Mike, but also condemning his irresponsible actions. Mike is stubborn and unstable,refuses to acknowledge his mistakes and has a lot of aggression in him.

The filmmakers make interesting references regarding the title. 'Toasted' is an informal way of describing someone as being drunk or under the influence of narcotics, which obviously applies to Mike and there is also actual toast in the film being toasted in a toaster, which clearly serves as a metaphor for Mike's unfortunate current situation: toasted.

There are creative lighting techniques and the filmmakers make effective use of out-of-focus sequences and fast-cutting editing. The tense, sinister and dynamic music contributes significantly to the atmosphere.

This short could be categorised as a dramatic commentary about low life, drug addiction, alcoholism, despair and trauma. However, it also works well as a thriller, telling a dark story about a youth going downhill and reaching the breaking point.