Doll It Up (Short)
This is a smart, sharp movie. In six minutes, this movie says a lot about men, how they can treat women, and how they can move on from women, all without featuring a single woman in the movie. This reminds me of “Lars and the Real Girl,” but rather than doing something painful and filled with longing, writer-director Yalan Hu seems to be making a pointed satire aimed squarely at aspects of toxic masculinity, especially within a marriage. I kind of love what this movie does.
The film stars Timothy J. Cox, an actor I’ve come to know personally, as well as through his work, over the years, as Gunther, and when we first see him, he is sitting down for dinner with his, um, wife. I pause there at the end because said wife, Patricia, is actually a sex doll. They have had a good thing going, but when the passion goes out of the marriage, he has a tough choice to make, resulting in a new love, Dorri, showing up at his door, one day. But some connections are stronger than others, and Gunther may find himself alone, if the right choice isn’t made.
I don’t mind giving away a key piece of info about this film, part of a series by the Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts, because the poster clues you in. Besides, the film’s success resides in its execution, and Hu, Cox and everyone else brings this film to life perfectly. This is very funny and very poignant and it’s a pleasure to see someone take a premise this wild and run with it in a different direction.
