Lunch Break (2005)

User Rating:

(awaiting 5 votes)

Director:

John W. McKelvey

Writer:

John W. McKelvey (writer)

Genre:

Short | Drama

Tagline:

You know things are bad when you spend your day off going to a union meeting.

Plot:

A working mother is faced with the unexpected arrival of an invasive documentary film crew and the prospect...

Plot Keywords:

Supermarket | Mock Documentary | Womens Issues | Art | Independent Film

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Tiffany Anne Carrin	...	Edmund's Star Employee
John W. McKelvey	...	The Director
Elise Falanga	...	Director of Photography
Kelly W. Terrell	...	Edmund's Book Keeper
Angela T. Ryan	...	Edmund's Book Keeper
Jane Hardy	...	Very Upset Customer
Krista Garcia	...	Edmund's Cashier
Melissa Turley	...	Edmund's Cashier
Rick Sheehan	...	Bewildered Customer
Steve Epstein	...	Regional Manager
William McKelvey	...	Regional Manager
Winifred McKelvey	...	Regional Manager
Craig Wilkinson	...	Mildly Upset Customer
Emma	...	Cat
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Steve Roberts	...	Store Manager

Runtime:

USA:28 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Filming Locations:

Albany, New York, USA

Company:

Tomorrow Wendy Productions

Movie Connections:

References High Art (1998)

Soundtrack:

Felt

A funny and spot-on seriocomic short film about the hapless plight of the working class

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I had the pleasure of catching a screening of this wryly funny and sharply observant seriocomic 28 minute gem of a short at a film festival held in my hometown of Metuchen, New Jersey and thoroughly enjoyed it. The story centers on an antsy and worn-out struggling working class mother (a charming performance by Tiffany Anne Carrin) who thanklessly toils away as a cashier at a supermarket. Our endearingly harried protagonist's life gets thrown out of whack by both an obtrusive film documentary crew who are making a movie about her drab everyday existence and the feared arrival of a bunch of corporate executives who are visiting the store to see that everything's running well. I've worked in a grocery store, so I can say with absolute authority that this spot-on little jewel totally nails the petty absurdities and sense of complete irrelevance that's part and parcel to such places with remarkable accuracy. For example, when our main character gets an Employee of the Month Award, we all know just how silly and meaningless this minor honor seems in the grand scheme of life. This movie knows this as well, but to its credit never seems either smug or condescending in its tone. Instead, there's a genuine wit and warmth about the amusing and ridiculous, yet sad and touching plight of your average minimum wage slave which in turn gives this feature a great deal of true heart and appeal. A real treat.