Dennis is someone you would not want to mess with as he is a massive body builder currently in training for the national championships; however he also lives with his mother and has a certain amount of isolation and sadness about him too. We join him as he summons up the courage to invite a girl out on a date and also let his mother down by not staying in with her on a Friday night.
There is a great sense of familiarity to this piece as we see an introverted man who lives with his mother and has never really broken away from her; he goes on a date which is nice but awkward, then he finds himself in more awkward situations where a temporary lack of inhibitions sees him feel embarrassed and humiliated, ultimately leading to an appreciation of the sheltered (if unhealthy) life he lives. The twist to this tale is that the person in question is an incredibly large body-building with tattoos and, as such, the audience will naturally go to a place of assumptions and cliché about him. It is engaging then that the film walks us back from this point, leading the viewer to the common ground of normal life, regardless of the body shape or hobby of the character.
The plot is simple but engaging in this way, with awkwardness and a shared feeling of Dennis' discomfort. The conclusions drawn may not be the most uplifting or healthy but they are convincing, natural and tenderly done. Lead actor Kold is very good because he wears a lot of the character in his body language and his face rather than needing to do it with words – working well and fitting the character. He works well with the actress playing his mother – who is never Joan Crawford or even close, but yet in the small touches her ownership of him is clear.
Dennis is a great little short and I notice that the characters and concepts have been extended into a feature which came out a few years ago, which I'll now be looking for.
There is a great sense of familiarity to this piece as we see an introverted man who lives with his mother and has never really broken away from her; he goes on a date which is nice but awkward, then he finds himself in more awkward situations where a temporary lack of inhibitions sees him feel embarrassed and humiliated, ultimately leading to an appreciation of the sheltered (if unhealthy) life he lives. The twist to this tale is that the person in question is an incredibly large body-building with tattoos and, as such, the audience will naturally go to a place of assumptions and cliché about him. It is engaging then that the film walks us back from this point, leading the viewer to the common ground of normal life, regardless of the body shape or hobby of the character.
The plot is simple but engaging in this way, with awkwardness and a shared feeling of Dennis' discomfort. The conclusions drawn may not be the most uplifting or healthy but they are convincing, natural and tenderly done. Lead actor Kold is very good because he wears a lot of the character in his body language and his face rather than needing to do it with words – working well and fitting the character. He works well with the actress playing his mother – who is never Joan Crawford or even close, but yet in the small touches her ownership of him is clear.
Dennis is a great little short and I notice that the characters and concepts have been extended into a feature which came out a few years ago, which I'll now be looking for.