Foureyes

I've got a confession to make . I am what's known in some circles as a " speccy " . It hasn't really affected my life in any great degree but I do feel slightly conscious about it and do my utmost in not being photographed with my glasses down to the fact that I'd rather be photographed as a thin , bald middle aged man rather than a thin , bald , middle aged man with glasses . Which is a bit like saying I'd rather be someone with terminal cancer , AIDS and chronic heart disease than someone with terminal cancer , AIDS , chronic heart disease and emphysema . There's no absolutes in life apart from death but I do vaguely remember in my youth that being bespectacled wasn't something that was considered cool

What FOUREYES does is convey the self conscious aspect of being diagnosed as being short sighted , being prescribed specs and feeling like it's the end of the world . . Add to this the onset of puberty and it feels like the universe is changing and not for the better . Obsession mixed in with narcissism takes over and life long embarrassment seems to consume you . It does this relatively well as young Bobby reaches that age and his repressed parents try to explain the facts of life to him at the dinner table . It's not an outstanding short and the comedy is perhaps played a little too broadly but we get a very effective performance out of Jake Ryan as Bobby who is able to portray embarrassed agony very convincingly without being irritating

When Bobby Bowersox is struck with a baseball in right field that seemed to come right out of left field, it is clear that he needs to get glasses. When he gets them he suddenly can see things clearer – from the objects around him through to the glossy pictures of women in swimwear and smiles that previously were a mysterious blur that meant nothing to him. Although reluctant to accept his need for glasses and the context of what he can now see, with careful and loving guidance from his parents Boyd and Paulette, Bobby's world view will change.

To be honest, the allegory within Foureyes is not particularly clever and if you cannot see that the transition into seeing is running with Bobby's change to seeing and appreciating girls and seeing changes in himself and others, then you probably need a pair of the glasses yourself (metaphorically). This is not a terrible thing but it did give me pause that the rest of the film would operate around this sort of level. I guess in lesser hands such an inauspicious (but still good) starting point may have done but with Conor Byrne's film it delivers with such enthusiasm and cheer that it is hard not to like it and go with the central idea. The change in vision regarding clarity and the change in vision regarding perspective/appreciation/understanding merge together well and it isn't as blunt as I first thought, meaning it is never about one without being about the other.

The humor makes it work though and as a coming-of-age film it works well. The general action is humorous and amusing which is a solid bed but within this we have some funny moments in terms of presentation or in certain lines of dialogue. The family chats I found to be particularly good but generally it has an amusing and affectionate air to it. The direction and look of the film feels very 1950's and wholesome, which is a nice feel to frame Bobby even if the time isn't set then. Jake Ryan leads the film well and is a very good bit of casting; he is well supported by funny turns from Kelly, Funk and Gingold.

Foureyes may well be yet another coming-of-age film (a genre which must be up there with "zombies" as one of the most commonly covered in short films) and it may at first glance be obvious in its central idea, but it is nicely structured and delivered with charm, energy and humor which makes it very easy to enjoy.