EVERYONE LAUGH AT LEANNE Review: A Woman Struggles Against Hopelessness in Haunting New Short
Starring Kerry Newton, Josie O’Rourke, Jodie Clark O’ Rourke, Caisa Martin, Tom Coulston (Review)
Directed by M.W. Daniels
Depression is never an easy topic to address, but the new short film Everyone Laugh at Leanne tackles it head-on. Kerry Newton stars as Leanne Higgis, a young woman who appears to be living happily with her partner. She even narrates to the audience trying to convince herself she’s satisfied with her life. Before long it’s revealed she’s actually only putting on a happy face while struggling with her own internal demons.
While heading out to work one day, Leanne secretly witnesses her mother and sister commit a brutal murder. This causes her to begin to question her own perspective of reality. Things quickly spiral out of control. She struggles to come to terms with the heinous crime she witnessed while trying to decide what she should do. And the fact that the ghost of the murder victim pays her a visit does not help matters.
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Leanne appears to be struggling with unspecified mental health issues. So it’s possible the murder she witnessed never have actually took place. Something Daniels also suggests when Leanne experiences vivid hallucinations. Including her family members sitting around a dinner table and laughing maniacally at her. Newton’s strong performance as a woman tormented by inner conflicts also helped to sell the believability of the growing panic and desperation experienced by Leanne.
Much of the short is open to interpretation. But there’s no denying writer and director M.W. Daniels created a tense psychological thriller. One that will make viewers think seriously about the damaging effects of pretending to live a happy life while secretly feeling trapped and alone. It’s hardly uplifting. But still, this is a short that deserves recognition for competently delivering a strong message to its audience.
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EVERYONE LAUGH AT LEANNE
Summary
Despite its grim and sombre tone, Everyone Laugh at Leanne still delivers a bold portrait of the life of an unhappy woman desperately seeking a way out, making it a short film which will linger in your mind long after the credits roll.
