Forked

This first accomplished work from the mind of a highly unstable Canadian, who has a penchant for late night carousing, is dark, witty, and surreal. Menzies' ability to tap into the most common of unspoken fears, dessert foods, is uncanny. This piece is absolutely thrilling from its jaw dropping opening to the breathe taking finale. One might say that it's all thanks to great casting, but without Menzies' compelling lyricism, this actor would have nothing to sink his teeth into... well almost nothing. The film may be available only to our northern brothers at the moment, but that is because of the politics behind it. Observe the fat man amidst the plates of food like rotting carcasses. He is a tyrant, a man out of control, he's obsessed and dangerous as one after another of poor defenseless pastries meets a grisly end. He is tormented by his own misunderstanding of what he consumes, and it gives him pause here just long enough for us to see the true face evil. The greedy fat cats of America will stop at nothing to make sure this film never enters so much as paper bag here. But I say bravo sir. Whatever Menzies is cooking up next is bound to be sweet.

Forked is a twisted battle of wit and strength between a large man with a hairy belly and a delicious looking slice of cheesecake. The banter goes back and forth as the writer uses a strange combination of outdated expressions and classical metaphors.

The depiction of the man battling his desire for desert is both sad and hilarious at the same time. I felt so sorry for the guy while at the same time not being able to hold in my laughter. It's as though my own sense of sympathy was handicapped by the subversively written dialogue.

Brilliantly acted in an over-the-top Will Ferrell type of way, the film's sad undertones don't fully hit you until the viewing is over. This character is fighting a battle that more and more of us face these days and it is no joke. Cheesecake is sweeping the nation and there may be nothing we can do about it.

Forked is deliciously entertaining and wonderfully strange, all in all a great little short film that everyone should see.