Face Swap begins when married couple Nick (Troy Caylak) and Olivia (Megan Gray) enter a very unique hotel. This place promises to rekindle the spark in any relationship. How can any corporation make such a promise? Well, by utilizing the latest technology to map a famous person’s face over the real thing. This allows the couple to realize their fantasies and re-experience their partner’s touch.
The catch is that the partner chooses your face. In Nick’s case, Olivia goes with George Clooney. For Olivia, Rachel McAdams is selected. They meet in the hotel room and…
Face Swap is around 5-minutes long, and to explain anything else would be to give the whole thing away. Co-directors and writers David Gidali and Einat Tubi effectively set-up the allure and promise of the face swap process. The special effects used to put the celebrity faces onto Caylak and Gray is very good. The facial movements sync up well, and the slight uncanny valley aspect of it all is intentional, which helps sell the effects all that much more.
“…by utilizing the latest technology to map a famous person’s face over the real thing. This allows the couple to realize their fantasies…”
Rollin Hunt’s production design is a high point of the film. The hotel room is quite luxurious, and the projectors aren’t as intrusive as one would expect. It is a very believable sci-fi setting that subtlety adds to the overall atmosphere of the film.
The acting in Face Swap is quite good as well. The first bit of dialogue is Nick convincing Olivia that this experience will be good for them. Caylak sells it well, and the audience buys that, at the very least, he believes what he is saying. As the more skeptical wife, Gray effectively channels the viewer’s initial thoughts- why is this a good idea? Is it lucrative? Thanks to the two’s chemistry, it is understandable why she would acquiesce.
The ending to Face Swap is dynamite in every way and perfectly synthesizes the two main characters’ views in one hilarious way. Obviously, spoiling, it would ruin the fun, but the ending is pitch-perfect and delightful.
Face Swap is an amusing 5-minute romp with good acting, excellent production design, impressive effects, and a fantastic ending. What’s not to love?
Face Swap screened at the Dragon Con Independent Short Film Festival.
"…The ending...is dynamite in every way and perfectly synthesizes the two main characters..."
