In Duran Jones’ short film, Time is Money, Jace (Bruce A. Lemon) is an aspiring filmmaker working as a delivery driver to make ends meet while trying to get financing for his first indie feature. In the meantime, he gotta deliver packages. As he races through his route, he’s overwhelmed by oversized packages, unable to relieve himself, and constant pressure from anonymous texts warning him that he’s behind schedule. Serving as a distraction are calls with potential investors and his producers, as he laments the harsh reality that the “cavalry is not coming” to rescue his project, à la Mark Duplass.
“Anonymous texts warning [Jace] that he’s behind schedule.”
Jace’s split focus between his delivery job and his filmmaking hustle begins to affect his performance. He mistakenly delivers a package to the wrong house and, in trying to retrieve it, struggles to access the backyard. His desperation leads him to scale a fence, resulting in a dramatic and painful fall. The final moments suggest significant injury, as his body lies broken.
I greatly admire the way writer/director Duran Jones pieced together Time is Money. It’s a very simple story about the stereotypical indie filmmaker hustling and side-hustling to achieve that Hollywood dream. Here, Jones goes the extra mile by not shooting it in a traditional manner. Instead, he crafts it as a hyper-realized comedy. No shot is easy—whether it’s from the cab of the delivery van, peeing in a bottle, or falling off a fence—again, nothing is easy. Jones elevates a simple story, pushing it to its cinematic and comedic extremes.
"…Jones goes the extra mile..."
