Have you ever thought that maybe our attempts not to be racist comes across as a little, well, racist? In Ryan Oksenberg‘s short film, Teardrop, an actor’s effort to find empathy leads to less than spectacular results.
Derek (Marc Avery) is a man trying to find a warm spot on the street to sleep for the night. He is soon approached by Alex (Will Madden), an actor heading home after a night of drinking with his friends. This seemingly benign encounter escalates quickly when Alex inadvertently vomits on Derek.
“…takes Derek back to his apartment to give him a change of clothes, but definitely not a shower.”
Feeling bad about his actions, Alex takes Derek back to his apartment to give him a change of clothes, but definitely not a shower. As Alex is learning to be a better actor following Stanislavski’s Method of Acting, he takes this opportunity to delve deep into Derek’s psyche as a homeless man. Immediately, his attempt to rectify his mistake on the street becomes an intense standoff between the two.
Though Teardrop is listed as a comedy, it really is a light drama. Its humor comes in the escalation of these tense moments and leads to an ironic conclusion with the police. The story is essentially Alex taking a moment of compassion and using it for his own gain and how this artist’s pretentiousness blinds him from his true motivations.
Leaning toward drama made this short fun to watch and rightfully keeps it from becoming a lame comedy sketch. Avery and Madden’s good performances, plus a solid, engaging story, make Teardrop worth a watch.
"…good performances, plus a solid, engaging story..."
