Lifeline (Short, 2015)
Starring Kathleen Gati, Mark Gantt
Written and Directed by Jeffery Wang
Jeffery Wang, who has worked on some heavyweight TV shows over the years such as “Breaking Bad,” “Criminal Minds,” and “Justified,” takes his sophomore go-round in directorial fashion with a short about the future – and future regrets – called Lifeline.
This 15-minute quickie looks at the business of palm reading, courtesy of Madame Golorio (Gati), an ailing old crone with teeth that look as if she’s been gargling with raw sewage and a disposition to match. Her next client is the mysterious Mr. Cushing (Gantt), a soft-spoken fellow who has come for reasons other than to have his fortune told.
Without blowing up the remainder of the story, let’s just say that fortunes have a way of exchanging hands, so to speak, and in the vein of Evil Dead 2, we see quite a bit of phalange play, and it borders on the fringes of downright goofiness.
Lifeline is entertaining, if only for a brief moment, and just when you think you’ll be witness to a horrific undertaking, you’re whisked off to a presentation that is slapstick in nature with a smattering of illusion. What is it that Mr. Cushing is after? Will Madame Golorio conquer her debilitating illness long enough to enjoy a more youthful look at life? Only the viewer knows for sure, and thank goodness this was only 15 minutes long – you can just tell when something has extended over its freshness date, and this Lifeline has certainly run into a dead end.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
