This is quite a departure from the remainder of the other available films by Bauer, but, reportedly, he made other comedies as well. This, "The 1002nd Ruse", is a domestic comedy featuring Bauer's wife. It's a silly short film that makes fun of infidelity and involves a married couple who enjoy trying to outwit the other and make a fool out of the other. It's competently made, but, overall, not very interesting. Bauer's tragedies, especially the ones demonstrating an obsession with death: such as "After Death", "Daydreams" and "The Dying Swan", are where Bauer's true genius lay. I do like, however, that "The 1002nd Ruse" begins with the husband directly addressing the audience; it sets up the obvious and overacting style, which, perhaps because of this introduction, doesn't seem too distractive here. There are also some keyhole POV shots.
