Trish Hernatiaux’s short film You Wouldn’t Understand begins simply enough. A man (Anthony Arkin, The Americans) sits in a field, quietly reading a book and surrounded by a sumptuous picnic. Certainly more than enough for a small group, let alone one man. As if on cue The Angelic Man (Jacob A. Ware, An Unquiet Grave) appears and asks if he has any “Horsey Sauce”, it seems he and his several hundred friends have run out. It only gets stranger from there.
Hernatiaux and co-writer Ware have crafted a nine-minute short that resembles a Monty Python reboot of The Twilight Zone. The long-shot across the field with two people chasing each other in the distance looks like the opening to an episode of their show. The dialogue has that same effortlessly bizarre quality to it. It’s absolutely ridiculous, but sounds natural, not forced. If you’ve ever tried to do this kind of comedy then you know just how hard that is to pull off.
The less said about the plot, the better. This is one where you don’t want to know any more than you have to beforehand. I will suggest you keep an eye and ear on the details. Little things like an apple can tell you a lot. Maybe.
You Wouldn’t Understand made it’s world premiere at Fantasia and is making its US premiere at Screamfest. It’s one to watch out for.