Boy Next Door

Teenager Charlotte and her brother, Chris are both interested in the new boy next door. When they each discover that the other is interested, sibling rivalry becomes sibling cruelty. Meanwhile the boy next door gives a few mixed signals.

There's nothing terribly new here but this situation is always interesting. However its a bad sign when you start checking how much time is left in the short.

Okay, so this wasn't the best short film. I just wanted to see it because it starred Tom Lenk (one of the best actors around).

I don't know if it's a good thing or not that he can play a gay character so well, but he did a good job (another example of this is his character on 'BtVS'). I found his portrayal amusing if anything. I found the sister character really annoying and I was rooting for Tom the whole way.

The plot was rather basic and we've seen similar things a million times before, but hey, it's something to watch when you're bored. All in all, I'd give it 6 out of 10 just for Tom Lenk's performance.

Teenagers Chris and Charlotte live in an American suburb and get on bout as well as any teenage siblings do. However a hunky new guy moves in across the street who catches both their eyes. Charlotte makes the first move, but gay Chris also gets to know him. The two fight it out in the hope that the guy will make his intentions clear.

This short is an UCLA student film and unfortunately it shows it in every frame. The plot is so basic that it serves no other purpose than to spark a comedic little war between brother and sister. This isn't well used in itself and I didn't find it very amusing. Nothing is actually made out of the characters beyond their cruel deeds to one another, hence any later need for the audience to feel for the two leads fails to come off. The cruel acts do raise a smile but really they are nothing clever or new.

The direction feels like a student film. The handheld approach doesn't work because it just feel like it puts us in the action – rather it just makes it feel amateurish and cheap. Pfirman's direction needs a lot of work and I must say he totally failed to capture my interest. Like a fellow reviewer said – it can only be a bad thing when you're looking at your watch during a short film. The performances are OTT or just plain moody when emotion is required.

Overall this is pretty dull. It looks gritty and cheap and it has nothing of interest to say, preferring instead to go for comedy – and failing.