Chocolate Chip Short Film Review

Feb 142 min read

★★★

Starring: #AshleyLarson, #JakeMoon, #CristenStephansky, #ClareWilliams, #AndyZibritosksy

Chocolate chip a crazy an absurd short film that shows the effects of how bad pregnancy cravings can get! However, this might be a slightly exaggerated interpretation, but the emotions are very much the same. Director Jim Hails creates a series of surreal scenes and introduces us first to the character Sarah Wilson, a young woman who is heavily pregnant eating snacks and watching TV late into the night. An advertisement for a chocolate chip cookie appears on the screen, this is all she can focus on and becomes fixated with feeding this hunger. After much deliberation she decides to make the journey to locate some cookies, however, along the way Sarah is met with some extraordinary scenarios.

One word to describe this film would be trippy, there is an edge to this film that makes it unique and even have a retro feel to it, from the style in which the TV adverts were filmed to the locations such as the small diners and laser tag spot. The film is left to the audience to determine whether this is a hallucinogenic nightmare or an anxiety driven storyline from the perspective of Sarah. It’s an attempt to convey just how deep her emotions run from the viewpoint of a pregnant woman. As Sarah attempts to scout out the chocolate chip cookies, she has a strange encounter with a robber, who demands all the money from the till but also all the chocolate chip cookies in the joint. A disgruntled Sarah abides but can’t help but think this is completely unfair and takes it upon herself to track down this cookie thief and take back what’s rightfully hers!

This film may seem a little far-fetched to some, but it does make for a funny and engaging storyline. The acting seemed overexaggerated in some scenes, but this was to match the overall craziness and did still work well. I did really enjoy the way this short was filmed the look and feel of the film did have that retro vibe which ultimately felt quite comforting in a strange way, but coupled with the crazy storyline it gave the film a twist and want to engage more with the characters and ultimately find out how this story ends for poor Sarah and her strong desire for a simple chocolate chip cookie. Jim Hail certainly pushes the boundaries of absurdities and Chocolate Chip reflects this madness in every sense.

The cinematography, locations and actors really helped to develop Hails own flare to build a very strange short film that boggles the mind and question reality, as well as really crave a chocolate chip cookie!