A SXSW Dark Comedy Short | The Voice In Your Head

Dan spends every waking hour tortured by the negative voice in his head until he learns something shocking that allows him to break free.

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The Voice In Your Head
Directed by Graham Parkes
https://www.grahamparkes.com/

"Solitude can be an important part of life and help you to develop who you are and your sense of self. But what if you could never truly feel alone? For Dan, an average Joe stumbling through life, this is exactly the situation he finds himself in, as the negative voice in his head follows him everywhere and never seems to give him a break. S/W alum Graham Parkes returns to our site for a third time with The Voice In Your Head, a sharp and witty comedy that surprisingly reveals itself as a much deeper opportunity for introspection.

In The Voice In Your Head, Parkes reunites with actors Mat Wright and Lewis Pullman (who has actually been in all of Parkes’ previous shorts). The trio last worked together on Craig’s Pathetic Freakout, and Parkes tells us that it was the desire to work with the pair of actors again, within what he calls the “comedy of panic” genre, that planted the seed for the film. The dynamic between Wright and Pullman, their ability to deliver insanity while staying grounded and vice-versa, lead him to the concept of having Wright play the voice inside Pullman’s head.

Although the premise is not revolutionary, Parkes makes it shine with an extremely sharp screenplay, which is perfectly brought to life by the outstanding performances of the whole cast. Wright’s character goes to town serving up the most epic zingers. Creative yet so hurtful, the extreme nastiness of his comments often cross into crushing home truths, making you almost feel bad for laughing. Dressed in a costume that fittingly encapsulates the nature of his character, Wright delivers his lines with a perfectly detached, yet spiteful tone and adds an extra comedic layer to his presence with a complete lack of respect for personal space.

On the flip side, as Wright portrays a character truly enjoying his demeaning duties, Pullman does a great job at capturing just how resigned his character Dan is. Stumbling through his life, in a state of near numbness, his appearance is that of a weary, disheveled man, exhausted from the continuous jabs he takes on a daily basis. “In my mind, they are sort of perfect opposites as actors”, Parkes reveals as we discuss his lead actors. “Mat is a master of playing these ecstatic or insane characters in a totally grounded way, whilst Lewis is a master of playing grounded characters with this sort of heart-breaking clarity”... Continue reading on shortoftheweek.com - S/W Curator Celine Roustan

Producer: Brendan Garrett
Screenwriter: Graham Parkes
Cinematographer: Chris Ripley
Production Designer: James Whelan
Sound Designer: Trevor Estes, Jack Sobo
Principal Cast: Mat Wright, Lewis Pullman, Trian Longsmith, Jackie Barnbrook, Arthur Keng, Benmio McCrea, Tom Truax, Jeff Lewis
Music by: Alex Belcher

Reproduced on this channel with the permission of the filmmakers.