Written and directed by Adam DeFilippi, The Prank is an earnest attempt at a self-made short film—mostly carried by DeFilippi’s acting prowess. It is a somewhat scary, somewhat silly ten-minute short that stars both DeFilippi and Alex Lebya, who was also responsible for the film’s editing and cinematography.
The film follows two friends, Ethan (Defilippi) and Robert (Lebya) crashing in a hotel room supposedly preparing for a reunion. What Robert doesn’t realize is that Ethan has set this whole situation up as a prank of sorts for something he’d done years prior. As we build towards the anticipated event, we can sense that something is about to go awry…and awry it does go.
What follows is a somewhat comical scene of Ethan trying to figure out how best to handle the situation; a situation that he honestly would not have gotten into much trouble for, all things considered. Nevertheless, DeFilippi’s Ethan calls on famous scenes from CSI: Miami (2002) and Very Bad Things (1998) to better understand his situation. These bring him little comfort though, sending him comically hurling into the same hotel trashcan again and again.
Technically speaking, the film is not without fault. While the score is crisp, clear and fun, the hotel room audio is scratchy at best and echoey at worst. There is a constant buzz like that of a lightbulb that can be distracting. The script, on the other hand, was clever and witty with a healthy splash of comedy. The editing and production were surprisingly good for what can be described as a micro-budget film and The Prank was most definitely a labour of love.
What stood out for me was DeFilippi’s range throughout the short. Granted, his character is meant to come across as a bit of a man-child, but the range of emotions that DeFilippi delivers over the film’s duration is brilliant, especially in the final scene. If anything, this would make a great sizzle reel for his future projects.
DeFilippi had the following to say about the production:
“Last year, inspired by my admiration for films that take place entirely in one location (such as “Carnage” and “Tape”), I spent about a week writing a short screenplay. Soon after that, myself and one other person – armed with nothing more than a camera, a hotel room, and some fiery passion (for the film, you weirdos!) – filmed it in two days and spent the next few months editing.
When I first started writing this, I truthfully felt I was writing a fun and silly dark comedy – emphasis on fun and silly. Not that I’m claiming I ended up with some heavy art piece here, but as it went on – from writing, to filming, to the editing – I found myself surprised. The character Ethan’s overall arch in particular. This guy is a total man-child when you meet him. Everything is a joke. He’s even sort of stuck in the past. That all reads from not only his dialogue and behavior, but the opening song. Then, compliments of his childish actions, he finds himself in a situation where he’s basically forced to grow the hell up and figure things out for himself.
As far as this chosen one location goes – I really loved the idea of taking a place that is generally supposed to make you feel cozy and safe, and making it feel cramped and stressful. Hell, Ethan can totally leave if he wanted to. He’s not physically trapped in there. But he knows it wouldn’t be good if he did. It also challenged me to figure out what all we could do within that one and only spot.
I hope people enjoy the prank…in one way or another. Super epic and not at all creepy wink”
Thanks for reading and as always, stay sordid. The film is already available to the public on YouTube and Vimeo, links to both of which I have provided below. Give it a watch and let us know your thoughts.
