TURKEY
by Amanda Lomonaco

Review of the short film.
Played at the September 2015 WILDsound FEEDBACK Film Festival.
http://www.wildsoundfestival.com/september_2015_film_festival.html

Turkey is set in a credibly typical and familiar scenario to many North American families; the yearly drama that surrounds Thanksgiving. Of course, those same tragedies are always much funnier when they’re happening to someone else, a fact that Turkey takes plenty of advantage of. Moreover, by centering the film around Thanksgiving, and in particular around the world “turkey”, the film is provides even more comedic relief by suing different definitions of the word as “introductions” to certain scenes.

You know the scriptwriters have done something right when you continue to cheer for a main character even after they’ve done something terrible. Some of the reason for this might be the fact that the horrible act in question is kept hidden for most of the film. Maybe we can’t help but feel bad for the woman who is trying to juggle cooking Thanksgiving dinner, & forcing her family to get along, while trying to stay positive and pretend like nothing’s wrong. Perhaps some people might not feel bad for her at all,but the brilliant acting and dialogue certainly go a long way in keeping this story humorous and heartwarming throughout.

For a film that does so well to keep the audience laughing, it seems to lose some of its steam towards the end. Although it’s not entirely predictable, everything seems to wrap itself up nicely in a neat and tidy little bow, which may be somewhat of a let down to some audiences. Then again, neatly wrapped up endings are a plague of the comedy genre. Despite this, somehow, the film still manages to make 17 minutes of your time seem like 5, and you’re left wishing you had seen more of that family’s story; whether in future or in the past tense.

Turkey certainly follows a more traditional narrative; a family gathering for a special occasion, mistakes & arguments popping up left and right, and a somewhat quirky but sweet conclusion. When described like this it’s easy to perceive the film as boring, but the overall experience of this short can’t help but leave a smile on your face

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of TURKEY:

Deadline TODAY to Submit your Short Film, Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival: http://www.wildsound.ca

Watch recent Writing Festival Videos. At least 15 winning videos a month: http://www.wildsoundfestival.com