Review: Just Right (Slamdance 2023)

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Title: Just Right
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Director: Camille Wormser
Starring: Camille Wormser, Jake Dvorsky, Sydney Heller, Adam Turney
Runtime: 15 mins

What It Is: In the day of the life of the sweet, engaging, and socially awkward Mel (Wormser), as she strives to go out with her close friend and roommates to go indoor skiing after getting herself a coffee, but has to do so with her severe OCD while still making it on time.

What We Think: A wonderful surprise, and elegantly packed with the personality and style on the level of Jared Hess, Miranda July, and Wes Anderson, director Wormser brings us the humorously expressive yet painfully relatable account of Mel, and her struggle to face a challenge that she’s set for herself. It’s a funny, almost tongue-in-cheek, and optimistically encouraging journey that makes me feel at home, reminding me of saturated 2000s indie comedies as well. Everything creative and technical is perfectly constructed: the cast is fantastic and enthralling with a solid script and dialogue that maintains the audacious and brave quirkiness without crossing the line into annoyingly quirky, and the performances hold so much character and chemistry that it encourages me to see more of them. The production design is lovingly done, with soft, warm pastels and details that create a comforting, lived-in feel, and the same goes for costuming as well. Bringing a similar level of joy and emotional integrity as other short-film projects such as Binge 2016, I could see this short having major potential as a series or a feature film (you never know, fingers crossed).

Our Grade: A, Refreshing realness is packaged in oddball comedic performances and atmosphere in Just Right–I would go as far as to say its title would just as well sum up my feelings about it. I hope to see more from filmmaker Wormser and her inherently likable acting chops, and wouldn’t mind seeing this determined, spirited short over and over again in the meantime to make up for its sadly short runtime.

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