Sometimes life gives us that all-important wake-up call, usually at the oddest moments and in the most inane places. In Mojean Aria’s Lucy, a lonely man (James Aaron Oliver) is sitting in the middle of his apartment surrounded by dozens of electric scooters waiting for them to charge. The man operates one of those app-based scooter services, like Bird.
In the morning, he drives around town swapping out scooters on the street with freshly charged ones, lines them up nicely on the street corner, and retrieves scooters thrown in dumpsters. While pulling one out of a tree, the man comes across a dog tied to a fence. Finding the smallest ounce of compassion, he rescues the dog and takes her home.
“Finding the smallest ounce of compassion, he rescues the dog and takes her home.”
That night, his landlord comes demanding back rent and that he gets rid of the dog. Suddenly, the man remembers that you can not be evicted if your pet is a service animal. So, how do you go about doing that?
Without going into much more detail, the ending hits you out of nowhere. What seems like a story of a guy just hoping to survive day-to-day takes a sharp heart-felt dramatic turn in the end. I’m left speechless. We all need help at times. The most challenging step is knowing that now is the time you need the help.
Plotwise, I was thinking, “where the hell is this going?” Then I found out. It’s masterful storytelling by Mojean Aria that perfectly exploits the power of short films. James Aaron Oliver gives a deceptively powerful performance. You get that I am recommending Lucy, right?
"…the ending hits you out of nowhere."
