‘Jelly Bean’ is a beautiful conflation of vulnerability, intimacy, and innocence that refuses to diminish irrespective of the years in one's life. All of these sentiments are portrayed with humor and endearment. In Reyzl we find an increasingly lovable protagonist, colorful and quirky in equal measure. 

On the day the film opens, she is headed out for a date which does not go as she might have hoped and desired. However, the misfortune in one encounter is mingled with the most unexpectedly positive and promising opportunity in another soon enough. In the hesitation, and the anticipation that now faces our protagonist, the film pronounces its core philosophy, as well as the title - feeling like a strangely flavored jelly bean in the world sometimes where everyone else seems flavored just right. 

The visual grammar, writing, and performances present the most effortless union of the myriad components of the plot, ensuring that each punch lands and all its intentions are realized in an entertaining manner. The humor does not take away from the depth of the emotions painted for the viewer which, in turn, allows the film to remain meaningful and heartfelt at the same time.

Jelly Bean | Short Film Nominee

David Crawford is a man on a mission - he is out to comprehend the dynamics of online dating in his investigative documentary. The small (and mostly indifferent) crew consists of a duo of two others - a cameraperson, and a pregnant woman who's simply glad to have received a professional gig despite the pandemic-stricken bleak reality of contemporary times. Now, Crawford a fan of the show Succession, has a vision marked by poetic grandeur, and lofty ambition to achieve it all - but on a budget. As the film progresses, the viewer finds their protagonist to be strange, but entertaining, along with being a combination of endearing and obnoxious at the same time. While he moves from one attempt to shoot his documentary to another, the dissonance between the images in his head and the truth of his lived reality offer the perfect contrast to amuse the viewer. All the punches land efficiently, generating laughter in the most unexpected ways at the expense of our fumbling protagonist. Soon enough the film becomes a conversation with his own aspirations and uncertainties, and less about the subject of online dating as a broader category, and deliberately so, further drawing the viewer's attention to how his idea of the self overwhelms any other understanding that he may have had of the world around him. Additionally, this world around him is also brought to life with ease and conviction, allowing the film to effortlessly achieve all that it has set out to.

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