Title: Ex Disposer
MPAA Rating: Not Yet Rated
Director: Daniel Ferrer
Starring: Jack Difalco, Kumasi Hopkins, Jen Taher
Runtime: 18 mins

What It Is: Andy (Difalco) is a destructive and neurotic former drummer for the New Jersey hardcore outfit “Disposer.” Andy discovers his old band is returning home after a cross-country tour. Nostalgic for his old days behind the kit, Andy attempts to reunite with his bandmates. However, he must confront the bad blood that was shed during his split from the band.

What We Think: WOW! This is one of the best shorts I’ve seen all year, and it definitely had me hooked from the opening scene and sweating along with the lead character. The greatest strengths of this short film are its performances and script. Jack Difalco is absolutely mesmerizing to watch and plays his characters incredibly well with such feeling and emotion. The main character Andy clearly has mental health issues, and Difalco’s performance makes the character so real and his problems all the more believable. This film takes on a lot of dark subjects, but they’re also important ones.

The direction and writing by Daniel Ferrer are marvelous, with the screenplay being rich in dialogue and inner monologues, and there’s no shortage of intensity or raw emotion. There’s one monologue towards the end of the short that really moved me, a very accurate depiction of what it’s like to live with the mental health problems that the main character Andy suffers from. The themes in this short are brought to light in a very interesting way. In the sequences were, to put it in simple terms, stuff goes down, the lighting is harsh and almost ultraviolet at a time, which brings out Andy’s inner conflict really well. The cinematography, in general, is pretty good as well, and the music… well it’s an original punk-rock soundtrack and it would sound just like you would think. A perfect companion to the main character’s harrowing journey.

Our Grade: A, This short is one of the best I’ve seen all year and I say go check it out. It’ll have you nervously rocking along through the blood, sweat, and tears of the incredible lead performance, as well as the great direction and fantastic screenplay by Daniel Ferrer.