Bitter Taste

A short drama written by Katerina Kalketenidi and Ethan Race, directed by Ethan Race and starring Alexis Trolf, Sam Kennedy and Audrey Jenkinson.

One day, in Glasgow, Scotland, Fraser (Kennedy), a mischievous young boy and his friends run into a gang of youngsters, who slash Fraser's face with a knife, leaving him scarred for life. Now an adult, (played by Trolf), he lives in New York City and works as head chef at a fancy restaurant. One evening, just as the establishment is about to close for the day, some customers request that Fraser himself prepares a specific dish for them. He hesitantly agrees, as that dish brings back painful memories.

A rather poignant story that deals primarily with the aftermath of a terrible incident. Following a dramatic beginning, the screenplay alternates between Fraser in the restaurant's kitchen, cooking the requested food and flashbacks about the immediate aftermath of the attack and the relationship between Fraser and his mother. By utilising this storytelling structure, the film effectively explores Fraser's character and the emotional pain that he is going through. The atmosphere is predominantly downbeat, supported by Joseph Race's dramatic music and Tyson Vanskiver's gloomy cinematography. The scenes involving Fraser's mother (Jenkinson) are the most uplifting as they deal with recovery and support.

It should be acknowledged that the scene where young Fraser is attacked is quite distressing. This is not a negative ascpect, as by being brutal, it paints a realistic image of violence. However, some viewers are likely to find this part hard to watch.

Since Trolf and Kennedy portray the same character, the latter's performance will be analysed first as he plays the child version. Kennedy plays Fraser in two phases of his life: before and after the incident. Before he is a cocky and carefree boy and a shoplifter and after he is broken and depressed, with a bandage covering his wound, being at home and cared for by his mother. Jenkinson is sympathetic in her portrayal of a loving and supportive parent and her character appears to represent the strength of support. Playing the grown-up Fraser, Trolf is very dramatic as a chef who relives his devastating experiences when he is told to prepare a specific course.

Trauma and painful memories are two key themes in this short. From another perspective, yob violence and knife crime are brought into the spotlight and so is people's obliviousness to other's emotional suffering. More upliftingly, the significance of good parenting is also acknowledged.

A person is haunted by a terrible event, even though it took place many years ago and he is now far away from the scene of the incident. The story is quite intriguing and it is a rather dramatic one that seems to imply that emotional wounds can last forever.