Sour Apple Bath Bombs – By Meg Poveromo – Short Film Review
Meg Poveromo takes us through an incredibly vibrant and bright story of the manager and employees of a failing bathing supply store wrapped up with a small but effective drug scandal led by two of the disgruntled employees.
Immediately we are introduced to the proud but out of touch manager, Tommy (Theodore Chow) as he gives us a tour of his bright and failing store recently rebranded from Karma to Shower and Bedtime scrubs. We are then introduced to the store employees in a sit com style introduction, each bringing their eccentric quirks and big personalities.
The characters are all written and acted effectively as you know exactly who these people are within seconds of meeting them. There is Tommy’s ex-con nephew, Ronald (Kevin Black), desperately looking for redemption and perfect for middle management, the quiet but sly Dylan (Keron Maraj) who seems to be hiding something and the eccentric and colourful Zoey (Meg Poveromo) who matches her bright blue socks to her hair and roller-skates in with cupcakes.
These characters are contrasted with the seemingly normal and under-appreciated Willow (Jillian Gelfand) who gives a great performance as a more grounded person reacting to this assortment of characters.
Without giving too much of the plot away, Willow clashes with Tommy and each character has their moment to shine. The comedy is farcical and at times disjointed as we get the impression that very few of the characters have their lives together.
The music adds to the comedy, as the happy jingle seen in the introduction dissipates as the audience is revealed to the actual problems found within the store. The song “Sour Apple Bath Bombs” adds a laugh to a strange and surreal situation that Willow and Dylan find themselves in.
Strangely enough, despite leaning on the farcical for comedy, there are nuanced performances that shine through. Theodore Chow gives a great manager who is out of touch, hilariously backed up by Kevin Black who will do anything for his chance at redemption. Jillian Gelfand shines through as the one dare I say normal character who is underappreciated, and ready to do what she needs to survive.
The variety of shots is interesting as there are a lot of different styles within the 20-minute run-time. A mockumentary style opening gives way to a more grounded story with plenty of interesting angles, a hilarious montage and even a drone shot to heighten the tension as the story progresses.
Although none of us can probably relate to working in a shop like Shower and Bedtime Scrubs, we can all relate to feeling trapped in an underpaying job and wanting anything to do that, and Willow does just that.
We very much look forward to seeing where Meg Poveromo goes next!