'All shook up' is very short, very dark, and very darkly funny. This isn't a short film saying anything profound or artistic, nor a happy-go-lucky romp - it's a swift kick to get your attention, emphasized by the rollicking rock music that noisily closes the film.
The costumes and make-up are clever and convincing, and the confined setting of the short appropriate to its length and the jab at the end. I appreciate the twisted mundanity of shots of things like ice in a glass, or the sticker adorning the phone - a pointedly sardonic contrast to the subject at hand.
It's not at all difficult to infer in the phone call a bit of biting commentary directed at the obtuse bureaucracy in our capitalist hellscape. Not that this short wants to linger on that aspect, or on anything in its quick duration, but it's noted all the same.
Just based on the premise, not every viewer may find this palatable. But 'All shook up' is an adept, witty short that acts as a shot in the arm and holds our attention. At only 5 minutes, why would you NOT watch it?
Very well done!
