THE LAST FRY | Omeleto

A man spends time with family. Bruce has recently been diagnosed with cancer. Facing a terminal outcome, he wants to gather with his family and create a happy memory with them, both for his own sake and for his family to remember him by. But when his family comes together, Bruce is reminded that the one obstacle to his goal is the family itself. They are disconnected and rude to one another, oblivious and self-absorbed, and they bicker endlessly. During the course of what turns out to be a bad day for him and everyone else, Bruce must come to accept the family -- and himself -- as they are. Directed by Sam Zarrin and written by Gerald Howard and Sam Zarrin, this sharply funny dramedy short captures a man at a crossroads, as he confronts his mortality and wishes to make some happy memories with his family. But this straightforward wish becomes complicated, no thanks to the foibles of his unruly, fractious clan. Bruce's situation is grounded and melancholic, but the narrative's wry, humorous take on the everyday dysfunction of families brings levity to the storytelling, making for a relatable, recognizably funny film. The story is essentially a clash between Bruce's hopes and expectations and the messy emotional reality. We meet Bruce and his family during an opening scene of a family gathering to hear the reading of a will. It's a solemn occasion, but it hilariously devolves into psychological chaos with the interfamilial arguments, quibbles, complaints and bickering, ignited over an unsilenced cell phone. And Bruce sits through it all, put-upon and long-suffering. When he gets a cancer diagnosis, he's confronted with the fact of having little time left. Is this what he wants to take away, much less leave with his family? He sets out to create a lovely memory: spending time with his family by the beach. Shot with a slightly muted warmth and a sometimes deadpan manner of framing, the storytelling crackles with excellent, pitch-perfect dialogue that conveys both a character's individual perspective and their perch in the family hierarchy. Actor Mel Rodriguez plays Bruce as annoyed, depressed, sarcastic and often aggrieved by everyone else and the world. But the film is observant enough to capture how Bruce fixates on the inadequacies and inconveniences of the world and people around him. It's also compassionate enough to observe how Bruce's hidden depression and despair that existed well before the diagnosis has taken a toll, coloring his outlook, his relationships and his enjoyment of life, all beautifully revealed by Rodriguez with muted but profound vulnerability and wistfulness. And now that he's faced with a difficult situation and a difficult day, he has to take a look at the whole big mess that is a life and how he's lived it. Offering equal parts generosity of spirit, deep compassion and a sense of humor about life's peccadilloes, THE LAST FRY has the trick of appearing at first like a shaggy, comforting family dramedy around a long-suffering family patriarch. But as it progresses, layers insult upon injury and develops in emotional complexity, it achieves tones of bittersweet poignancy and weathered gentleness. We long for beauty, transcendence and joy; life often gives us inconveniences, wrong information and sometimes even profound sadness. Wisdom comes from unlikely sources, and not without a price. We can only take care of one another and do our best to muddle through, taking what enjoyment as it comes -- and not just as we wish it to be. THE LAST FRY. Courtesy of Sam Zarrin at https://samzarrin.com.