The Pharmacist is a short film produced by Michael Cassidy and Iqbal Mohammed and directed by Paula Wood which has several compelling motifs, primarily the myth of the American Dream. The sub text is man's fear of being replaced by the relentless encroachment of technology.
From the opening scene to the surprising finish it evokes an emotional response from the audience. The pharmacist, deftly played by Matthew Gulbranson, is a modern Willy Loman not quite defeated by a ho-hum existence until he encounters the machine Green Cross which will dispense medicine efficiently but without heart.
The pharmacist, Hal, desperately wants to believe that what he does as a dispenser of medicine for megrims still matters in the human equation even though he suffers lack of respect from his teenage son Adam, played by Jesse Robinson, and his boss, Mr Jarvis, played by Michael Gabel, and suffers a job steeped in tedium.
Into the drugstore comes the flotsam and jetsam of humanity who line up to get their prescriptions: the middle aged woman, Ms Ringleberg, played by Mary Suib, with insurance payment anxieties; a mentally challenged and phobic young man, Mr. Rumus, played by John C. Bailey, who is terrified of life and dependent on medicine. The pharmacist treats all kindly. Surely his compassion and effectiveness matter. He tolerates even his teen-aged assistant, April, who manages to count pills, chew gum, and chat up her girlfriend on the cell all at the same time. She is perfectly played by Allison Howard.
Now enters the boss, Mr. Jarvis, a character you love to hate, who cares only for the profit bottom line rather than the people he serves. He comes with the machine Green Cross which is designed to effectively boost the profit margin. There is only one thing this beleaguered pharmacist Hal can do, gum up the machine. And so black comedy erupts to shatter the mirror reflecting ourselves.
Viewers can watch The Pharmacist and relate to their own fears, phobias, compromised ideals, and missed opportunities. This is a cautionary tale. Underlying all of our human frailty, is the only hope, a pill? Is the only response to laugh at our dreams as well as at our foibles?
This film is a definite thumbs up!!!
(Reviewed by Mary Parnell, Associate Professor of English, NDSCS, Ret.)
