There’s no greater milestone in any person’s life than reaching your 100th birthday. Julian Lucas and Vanessa Every-Burns’ short film, 100 Candles, tells the story of 99-year-old Bernice (Francesca Waters), who is just one day away from that auspicious milestone. As a fanatic of Queen Elizabeth, she’s looking forward to receiving a letter of congratulations from the Queen herself.
“After a bit of bickering, Bernice promptly croaks…”
Her grandson Travis (Jackson Tozer) has been tasked by his family to throw Bernice’s milestone party. His wife, Crystal (Sarah Baker), is reluctantly there to help because Bernice thought Travis could do better… she’s probably right. After a bit of bickering, Bernice promptly croaks — just hours away from the arrival of the rest of the family. However, Travis is determined to get that letter from the Queen, so the party must go on. He bribes Crystal to help the shenanigans ensue.
100 Candles runs at a brisk six minutes and wastes not a second of time. When it comes to using dead people as props, Weekend at Bernie’s sets the gold standard, and the short film wisely chooses to stand on its own. While the comedy is quick and was shot on a low budget, director Julian Lucas and writer Vanessa Every-Burns make a great go at it. The gags are simple, and as I wonder how Travis will keep it together, we get a smokin’ good ending that looks amazing. By the end, I was happy to discover that the filmmakers told a good story both comically and cinematically.
"…we get a smokin’ good ending that looks amazing."
