Chekhov’s Bun is an action-packed British short that goes in directions you will yeast expect. Beau Fowler, the film’s director-screenwriter-stunt choreographer, delivers loafs of intrigue and suspense in his one-of-a-kind flick. Marie (Amelie Leroy) is a housewife working diligently to bake bread and other pastries for her daughter’s birthday party. Her situation is not off to a great start because she burnt all of the buns. Daryl (David Mullenger), her husband, is flustered since it is almost time for the guests to arrive. Sophie (Coco) is excited about her party and to see the cake her mother is baking for her. Daryl and Sophie leave the kitchen, and Marie hyper focuses on prepping the cake.
For a moment she rests, until an old colleague stealthily shows up at her home. Marie doughs-nut expect to see Kafka (Eric Raymond Lim) there. He calls her by her old alias, “Chekhov.” She tells him that she no longer goes by that name and is happy in domesticity. Kafka keeps begging her to return as an assassin. When he calls her husband pathetic, it rye-les Marie up to engage in hand-to-hand combat. He’s toast, and she fights back with a rolling pin, a knife, and some flour power. Marie is on a roll fighting back with sharp intensity; little does she know that one of her burnt buns contains a deadly surprise.
“… baking is not off to a great start because she burnt all of the buns. “
Beau Fowler and his writing team, Haydn Worley and Simon Darkman, cooked up an excellent film. He isn’t messing around with the stunt choreography, and it all works brilliantly within the confined space of a pristine kitchen. All of the stunts remind me of today’s best stunt filmmakers, like David Leitch and James “BamBam” Bamford. Olivia Vidou’s costume design is very clever and creative, especially by giving Marie/”Chekhov” a floral housewife outfit. This artistic touch contrasts with the tightly edited and edge-of-your seat action sequence that includes some mild R-rated blood spatter. Wolf E. Rubea’s editing goes for a slow build style, and each piece of action is cut to each concise movement.
Fowler’s film would definitely bring in the dough as a high-budget feature, especially with its cliffhanger ending. Amelie Leroy gives a nuanced performance as our titular action heroine, and her physicality is quite dynamic. Chekhov’s Bun will give audiences an adrenaline rush of blockbuster-style action. Marie is the next action heroine worth cheering for!
"…fights back with a rolling pin, a knife, and some flour power."
