WHO WANTS DESSERT?

THE SETUP

Firstly, I just want to start off by giving a big thank you to Writer/Director, Venita Ozols-Graham (Used Body Parts) for allowing me early access to an online screener of her 7-minute thriller short, “Who Wants Dessert?”. On the surface, Annie (played by the lovely Brigitte Graham) appears to have it all. A house with character, a loving husband, and a beautiful child. So much so, that she decides it’s time to inform her therapist (Sean Young) that they no longer require their sessions together. Following an impromptu house call, Dr. Chambers questions Annie’s diagnosis. The film also stars Dan Sykes and Logan Parker.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have now seen three of Venita’s short films over the past couple of years, each of which I’ve enjoyed a fair bit. “Used Body Parts” was her effective, suspenseful, and gory little debut back in 2016, and whilst some production issues hampered her follow up “Amy’s In The Freezer”, the narrative itself was still quite entertaining. It pleases me to be able to say that Who Wants Dessert is beyond a shadow of a doubt her best work thus far – thanks in big part to a tighter edit and impressive cinematography. Dutch DP, Nick Janssen helps to manipulate the mystery of the film by keeping the camera constantly on the move. The opening shot is a prime example – a gentle track and pan to the right to reveal our happy little family enjoying breakfast. Everything is nicely framed, and again, during the climax, Janssen opts for a reverse shot that has you discovering fragments concurrently alongside the character. The audio track is crisp, and Alexander Arntzen’s (Graham’s regular composer) score evokes the best of both worlds in terms of tones that intrigue as well as concern. The sound design and mix is another aspect of note, particularly the clashing of voices in the latter stages of the film. I can’t go into details about the finer points of Who Wants Dessert for fear of spoilers but know that performances are solid and the content is highly entertaining. In fact, barring one somewhat nit-picky specific in a piece of Young’s dialogue that I don’t think was necessary, this is a perfect little short. It’s currently circling the festival route and will no doubt garner plenty of attention. For now you can follow the progression of the film at this link: https://www.facebook.com/WhoWantsDessert1/.

Who Wants Dessert? – 9/10