Delaney (Short)
Delaney (Delaney Manning) is the 11-year-old daughter of an old man and his wife, who operate an isolated hotel off of Route 66. Since the advent of the interstate system, business has been rough going for anyone with a business off of the once-beloved highway to the west, so now, families have to make due any way they can. Delaney’s family has found a way to stay afloat that makes Norman Bates seem like an innovator in the hotel business, although when their latest customer comes up empty, they may have to break Delaney’s young heart, and separate her from her 12-year-old surfer “boyfriend,” Hercules (Daeg Faerch), forever.
Writer-director Carles Torrens’s “Delaney” is dark comedy, horror movie, riff on “Psycho” and look at the moment a young person’s illusions of “love” are shattered, all within the confines of 21 dirty and kind of disgusting minutes. Compared to this family, Norman Bates was a model of propriety and proper business ownership, but in practice and in demeanor. When a man comes looking for a room, Delaney’s mother (Tara Hunnewell) is a big flirt, which is all part of the act she puts on to get marks to stay, with her husband (an old man played by Howard Ferguson-Woitzman) sealing the deal by offering her up for the man for some companionship. He doesn’t know what’s coming, although really, her probably should. The beating heart of the film, however, is Delaney and her dilemma between her family and her “love.” She’ll find love again, though; the question is, do we think that’s a good idea? “Delaney,” a wicked little treat of a film, doesn’t necessarily make us optimistic that would turn out well for a young man.
The movie can be watched at delaneyfilm.com.
