Point Five Short Film Review

★★★★

Directed by: #SamTurner

Starring: #DanielAllen, #StephanieHoutman, #KaineBuffonge

Short Film Review by: Alexandra James

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Point Five is not your ordinary drug fuelled drama, in fact, I don’t think it is like any underground dealing film you have seen before! This is a comedic short but with a very crucial message to take home, and that is the importance of recycling and taking care of the environment. Yes, that’s right, drug dealers care about the environment too! There should be more people like our dealer Liam played by Kaine Buffonge…but perhaps, minus the drugs aspect of his lifestyle. This was an innovative short film, which although was a ridiculous premise, it opened our eyes to the changes we need to make in our lives to make a difference and to act fast to save our planet. A cheesy but hilarious film which makes you laugh, think, and hopefully become part of a new movement.

The film starts with a couple getting ready to leave for a night out when they suddenly realise, they need a little extra something to keep them going for the night. However, neither seem confident in going to ‘collect,’ so it is left to Ben (Daniel Allen) a seemingly straight-up kind of guy and complete fish out of water when it comes to dodgy dealings. He is desperate to impress his extremely demanding girlfriend and must falsify this cocky behaviour to get him through this deal.

The pair wait in an empty underground car park for their dealer, he approaches them already aggressive. However, this hostile attitude becomes undermined when he screams at the couple for not paying the extra 10p for the bag! The electric car, charge for the plastic bag and e-receipts makes this drug dealer unlike any other that may prowl the streets of London. This is a dealer with morals, one who prioritises the state of the earth over your high. He is a drug dealer we can all stand behind…in terms of his message to raise awareness rather than his produce of course. This was an unexpected deal which turned out to be a bizarre but fantastically humorous in all the right places.

The acting was on point for Kaine Buffonge, he did not break character especially when the deal began to get more ludicrous by the second. He remained poised and kept up the ‘big man’ act throughout this piece, which in turn added to the hilarity of the scene. The chemistry between Faith and Ben could have been improved slightly, in terms of the way they bounced off each other, there were times where they were awkward around each other. However, there seemed to be a better reaction between Liam and Ben and their responses to each other so that helped to drive the comedic element within the film. Point Five highlights to the audience an important message but uses comedy to spread this word and if anything, this message is now likely to stick with you to make a change.