Julien Neaves, Caribbean Head Writer
On March 31st I had the privilege of attending the Red Carpet and Opening Night of the fifth edition of the Film and Folklore Festival, an event festival in Trinidad and Tobago that invites persons to experience a unique and interactive experience in folklore storytelling comprised of music, spoken word, art, language, food and film.
I saw two Trinidad and Tobago films on the opening night, Fantastic Friday and James, and with this article I will be reviewing the former.
Review: Fantastic Friday is a comedy short film with Shari Petti (Sorf Hair, Daze) as creative director. The plot follows three friends who plan to attend a fete (party) during the annual Carnival celebrations despite not having tickets, and shenanigans ensue. If I had to describe this film in two words, they would be “authentic” and “uproarious”. From the dialogue to the performances to the scenarios everything feels completely authentic to the Trini experience. And those scenarios deliver some uproarious laughs, milking the comedy but not overdoing it. The acting is strong throughout, especially from the three leads, the soundtrack is energetic, and the cinematography really throws the viewer into the wild action.
And that’s about all I have to say about this breezy short. If I had one critique, it would be that the ending could have been stronger. But other than that, I had a fantastic time with Fantastic Friday.
Score: 8 out of 10
Featured Image Photo Credit: Olajuwon Scott (edited)
For more on the Film and Folklore Festival you can check out their Facebook page. And you can check out more Trini short film reviews below:
Julien “Editor Jules” Neaves is a TARDIS-flying, Force-using Trekkie whose bedroom stories were by Freddy Krueger, learned to be a superhero from Marvel, but dreams of being Batman. I love promoting Caribbean film (Cariwood), creating board games and I am an aspiring author. I say things like “12 flavours of awesome sauce”. Read more.