A sapphic romance and the breakdown of it are the subjects of this short film, which is really a music video for a song called Barrel of a Gun by Robby Fontana. It’s a tune that sounds a lot like a midcentury ballad — you would have heard something like it on AM radio back then.
The film’s two actresses, Ana Archen and Maja Kin, silently mime their way through the story as they snuggle and frolic on dry land, and tumble around underwater fully clothed in a swimming pool. It’s the stuff we’ve seen in spades since the dawn of MTV almost 40 years ago — back when they used to broadcast music videos only.
“ … they snuggle and frolic on dry land, and tumble around underwater fully clothed in a swimming pool.”
Fontana’s ballad has a plaintive edge that warns us that heartbreak is dead ahead. And sure enough, the couple begins to bicker, culminating in each letting out a silent wail in the safe space beneath the pool’s surface — no one can hear you scream underwater.
Emotionally overwrought? You betcha. Still, the filmmaker seems utterly sincere in her dedication to this romantic take on ill-fated love — you’ve got to admire that.
Barrel of a Gun (2019) Directed by Tanne Willow. Written by Tanne Willow. Starring Ana Archen, Maja Kin.
7 out of 10 Heart-Shaped Pool Floats
