The drinks are strong, and the darkness runs deep in the captivating, dramatic Irish short Vanilla, written and directed by Tony O’Donnell. Simon (Pat Shortt) comes in from the night to a pub for a pint of Guinness and a small glass of whiskey. Behind the bar, Walter (Peter Gowan) lets Simon know that the local doctor, Joe (Gary Lydon) is also there and has already been drinking heavily. Simon isn’t pleased, but neither is he surprised, as today is the anniversary of the doctor’s baby being found dead in the crib. Joe comes back into his stool, very drunk and very grim. He starts talking about Simon’s personal business, specifically his allergy to vanilla. Joe goes on about how Simon has a severe reaction to the substance found in raw vanilla seeds, a very rare allergy passed genetically that only affects one in six million. The chances of a vanilla allergy being in a small village like theirs are astronomical. Simon wishes the doctor would shut up, as the talk is getting drunker and darker.
The many hardcore fans of Irish literature will “James Rejoice” over Vanilla. I myself was fixated on a poster of Irish writers hanging behind Lydon on the bar wall, framed with a crack in the glass. It is fitting as O’Donnell’s script is very literary and pretty darn brilliant. The significance of all the details hanging like unwanted tobacco smoke in the air increases until the chilling finale.
Peter Gowan behind the bar as Walter in Tony O’Donnell’s Vanilla
“…Joe goes on about how Simon has a severe reaction to the substance found in raw vanilla seeds…”
On the surface, it seems like a very ordinary scene of a pair talking in a bar, just like a glass of whisky may seem like a portion of colored liquid. But the liquid has a strong effect that is felt instead of seen, as that is exactly how Vanilla works. In just 12 minutes, this film hits your system like fine Irish whiskey, infusing your emotions further than expected.
O’Donnell’s direction is just as smooth, with magnificent use of low-level lighting to increase both the realism and the atmosphere. When last call has ended and the pub shuts, bathing the place in red light, you would swear you were crawling across the face of Hell. Another great touch was a jukebox song playing while time passes, “Two Blue Eyes” by TR Dallas. It was made to sound like an old-timey American country song, but it was actually a new song that had me completely fooled. Vanilla may be everything except sweet, but with that, everything else is done very well. This is the kind of short film that will lead to the kind of features we are thirsty for. Excellent work.
"…this film hits your system like fine Irish whiskey"
