In the short film, Outpatient Services, writer/director/star Funmi Adetola plays a receptionist at a medical clinic. He’s the only one in the office at the moment as business resumes at 2 p.m. He goes about his work cleaning equipment, organizing files, and learning a new language on a phone app.
Soon, the phone rings, and a man needs to see a doctor right away. The receptionist sets the appointment at two o’clock sharp. When they hang up, our hero is summoned to a communication screen where mysterious figures give orders about the man who just called.
In and out, Outpatient Services moves at a fast 7-minute pace. Shot on an ultra-low budget, Funmi Adetola is a one-man film crew taking on all responsibilities of the short. Sure, money would have solved a lot of the technical and stylistic problems, but what Funmi has control over is the story.
“He goes about his work cleaning equipment, organizing films, and learning a new language on a phone app.”
The story needs a bit of help, particularly when it turns into a spy thriller. The transition from film receptionist to spy must be crystal clear, especially when establishing the mission. Put simply, filmmakers need to make sure the story plays out for the audience the same way it does in the director’s head. Is the audience getting all the right information, and do the protagonist’s actions logically follow from the information they’re given?
But still, kudos must go to Funmi Adetola for making a one-person movie with Outpatient Services. There are a lot of balls to juggle, and they all manage to stay in the air without falling. The filmmaker does great work on building the proper tension.
Outpatient Services is available on Funmi Adetola’s YouTube Channel.
"…moves at a fast 7-minute pace."
