russwong2003

'Seafood' is one of the best short films that I can remember seeing for a long time. It tells the story of two mis-matched men who spend an emotionally complex evening together. One guy desires the other, but his feelings are not reciprocated.

There are great performances from the two British actors that at the same time manage to be poignant, funny and very real. The film looks and feels very authentic and it makes London feel strangely unfamiliar and unglamorous. However the film itself is beautiful to watch with saturated candy colors shining through the night scenes.

Best of all 'Seafood' is imbued with a feeling of joie-de-vivre and the final 'pay-off' is exactly what you wanted but never dared expect. There is a very large amount of emotion for such a short film, and I left the theater with a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye.

I found this film disappointing after the director's previous short, 'Chicken'. Dignam might be working his way around the animal kingdom, but his film-making has taken a step backwards. The story of childhood sexuality seems far too familiar - the kind of territory we've seen over and over again at gay film festivals. If I watch another film with a small boy dressing up in women's clothes and playing with girls' toys I am very likely to scream! The film-making style is also disappointingly pedestrian. The film is not helped by so-so performances all round. Granted, I hadn't seen a ferret before in a gay film, but I really had expected more than this. Barry Dignam, if you're reading this, please re-visit the style and sensitivity of 'Chicken' - that was a real winner.