Two Minutes

A short crime comedy written and directed by Jamie Benyon and starring Annette Badland, Samuel Bottomley and Ashley Margolis.

Two brothers (Bottomley and Margolis) have a plan: they are going to rob a convenience shop. Why? Because they need money. So the day arrives and Anthony (played by Margolis) is going to enter the shop with a gun and a mask and force the staff to give him the money, while Jimmy (played by Bottomley) will wait in the car and be the getaway driver. Once the alarm goes off, they will have two minutes to escape and they have a timer ready. Once Anthony proceeds to walk towards the building, his sibling stays in the vehicle, waiting anxiously. Then, things take an unexpected turn when their grandmother (Badland) walks by, sees Jimmy and cheerfully decides to sit in the passenger seat and have a chat.

During its five-and-a-half minute duration, this short manages to begin as a serious crime thriller, then move towards dark comedy, before entering family drama territories. The ominous music by Daisy Coole and Tom Nettleship adds great tension to the atmosphere and of course so does the plot: two guys are in the middle of committing armed robbery and out of the blue, their grandma appears, utterly oblivious to the situation and wants to have a friendly conversation with the getaway driver and offer treats.

It is an intriguing plot, with humour and a great deal of suspense. The issue is morality. The two brothers are committing armed robbery in order to get money for a noble cause. Does wanting to do something good justify turning to crime in order to achieve it? The screenplay does not state that crime does not pay. It does not acknowledge that committing criminal acts is not the answer.

Bottomley and Margolis generate the drama and seriousness in this story with their performances as two desperate young siblings who appear to be good people and turn to armed robbery because they believe they have no choice. Badland's presence provides the comical elements, as her character cheerfully socialises with her grandson and she is utterly unaware of the crime that is taking place.

Desperation is the main feeling here, with the plot being about desperate individuals resolving to desperate measures in order to make things better for them and their actions resulting in a desperate events. Behind this, the reason is support, as that is the brothers' motive for their illegal act. The film also tenderly acknowledges family values and the pain caused by loss.

The methodical directing, the strong acting and the plot are what bring this short to the two-star category. As mentioned, the fact that crime is never the solution is not acknowledged in this story and that is a big minus, because what is the message then? That crime can be a solution? This is a very well-made film, however it is vital that it had to carry the message that people must never turn to crime.