PATHOLOGICAL | Omeleto

Опубликовано: 05 Октябрь 2024
на канале: Omeleto

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A woman's lies come true.

PATHOLOGICAL is used with permission from Alison Rich. Learn more at https://alisonrich.com.

Juliet is a pathological liar, weaving fantastical tales to everyone from co-workers to dates to impress or gain acceptance from people. Her lies are extravagant but often contradictory. When people can see through them, they keep their distance from her. When people believe her and think she's cool or interesting, Juliet feels self-loathing because she knows, deep down, that their impression of her is inauthentic.

After one particular shame spiral after an easily impressed date, she wakes up the next day and discovers all her lies from the day before have come true. She's a "perfume muse" to Ariana Grande; she has a neurosurgeon boyfriend who also works at NASA; they live in a fabulous place, and she runs a charitable foundation. Everything seems amazing, and even the alpha girl at work wants to be her friend now. But when the more questionable lies catch up with her, Juliet realizes there is such a thing as being too interesting.

Directed and written by Alison Rich, who also plays the lead role of Juliet, this effervescent short comedy is both a compassionate, perspective character study of a pathological liar and a playful, high-concept imagining of those lies coming to life. Both comedy and fantasy are united by a witty, smart sense of humor, building up to an amusing, screwball ending that makes Juliet face the chaos her lies have wrought.

Much of this short comedy's fun comes initially from its excellent writing, with dialogue peppered with clever references, witty observations and sharp one-liners. Juliet's lies are outlandish and very creative, and the writing has a particular panache in combining and juxtaposing the fascinating, inane and profound in her inventions. When Juliet's lies come to life, the the film takes on a more manic tenor, relishing the baroqueness of Juliet's imagination and how its zanier elements clash and combine.

While the film's humor is bold, the storytelling's heart comes from its compassionate understanding of how much people long to be special and interesting in their quest to find connection and acceptance. Much of this is conveyed in the film's performances, particularly in Rich's portrayal of Juliet, which is both nimble in hitting the comic notes of the writing but also relatable in the vulnerability that Juliet's lies are protecting.

When Juliet's lies come to life, it's fun for her, and people around her see her as special. But when some of the lies come back to haunt her, she is confronted with just how disturbing they are. She realizes how far she was willing to go to seem special or interesting, and she understands finally that almost all of us are struggling with being ordinary or normal. And though it's entertaining, smart and whimsical (and a hit at Sundance), PATHOLOGICAL lovingly reminds us that we're worthy just as we are, without the Instagram-worthy window dressing of cool accomplishments, friends, lovers, material possessions and peak experiences.