WATCH THE FILM HERE
First, the Recap:
Being on top. When one has reached a pinnacle of success, the merits and rewards of this so often rain down, prompting further efforts to maintain the level of achievement that has garnered said prosperity. Of course, being in total control of this rise to fame, being able to accomplish it on one’s own terms, and managing to become a unique and sought after talent in the industry of choice. However, what happens when this complete sense of self-direction gets shaken to the core? Take uber-lucrative songwriter Elmore Dean (Timothy J. Cox), a preeminent artist whose enjoyed the profits of his labors for many, many years. Never wanting for those desiring his songwriting prowess, life is a breeze.
Yet, in Elmore’s successes lie his choice to remain apart from the spotlight, almost reclusive, avoiding the craziness of fame for his always-preferred solitude and order. Now, on the eve of a well-deserved award/induction ceremony, Elmore’s mind races as he awakes and scampers around his loft to get ready for the event, fully knowing he will now have to address a crowd of admirers, much less be somewhat transparent about his cloistered reality. But, even as he goes about his hectic routine, it becomes strangely evident that factors well outside his ability to affect or guide begin to occur, threatening to undermine his entire sense of balance and harmony. When these happenings come to a head, it leads to one last frustrating exclamation point on his day.
Next, my Mind:
It only takes writer/director/producer/editor Max Rothman a six minute runtime and one primary character to deftly present a cleverly written and wonderfully executed short whose narrative many more of us than one might think can, in some form, perfectly relate to. Wryly tackling the entire notion of not just the oft veiled chaos of fame but also the innate stubbornness we as human beings exhibit in always wanting to have total dominance and command over things, watching events unfold and fall into pandemonium is both hilarious and quite smartly eye-opening in its reminder to us things just don’t always go the way we wish. Additionally, it illustrates that despite there being such things we cannot change, we still try to bend it all to our will or regain a modicum of sway, and somehow expect a certain result from it that truthfully doesn’t tend to come out in our favor. The film is intelligently shot to entertainingly emphasize the breakdown in stability and equilibrium Elmore suddenly finds himself encountering, and that visual sense of bedlam is well maintained throughout the effort. Further enhancing the proceedings is a wonderfully created original jazz score provided by Ethan Kogan and David Lantz with some mean bass from Martin Jaffe that is simply so apropos for the nature of Elmore’s character and the one-setting format of the story, lending that air of “coolness” to it all.
This reviewer continues to hope people actually never tire of the high esteem and consistent praise I bestow upon master character actor Timothy J. Cox, who yet again serves up another acting triumph in the sole and title role of Elmore Dean, a man who personifies the best qualities of successes in his chosen field while also perhaps showcasing the slight downsides of constantly being wanted in the limelight, a facet of his career he’d actually rather put aside and/or avoid. Seeing his strictly ordered world come crashing down in a single day of insanity while trying to mentally and physically prepare himself to accept a huge honor is very well-enacted by Cox, who is so astute at playing characters in an understated way yet still infusing them with energy and emotional gravitas that subsequently sows the seeds of the intended humor here with high effectiveness. Plus, Cox is just flat out fun to watch overall as any character, this being no exception to that well-established rule. Even when we as viewers lose direct sight of Elmore Dean in the films quite painfully witty finale, one can still very much picture Cox’s expressions and body language being in full swing, chuckling aloud as we do. So, in total, “Who Is Elmore Dean?” remains another victorious notch on independent and short film’s belt, well worthy of success and views while being able to appreciate the high quality of entertainment and talent residing within its ranks that should be in the spotlight so much more than it currently is.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
