I’m not even sure if it’s available to purchase or not yet - a friend of a friend had a copy of it and I’m not even sure how he got it. It most recently premiered at the Palm Springs Film Festival in 2003.
The story is of this backwoods southern boy accountant who is hired by a farmer’s brother to save his farm. The guy’s brother you might recognize as Shane from the TV show The Shield, the other two actors I didn’t recognize.
To say more would be unfair, as it is a short film. All I can say is that it was incredible. Hilarious, well-acted, fantastic cinematography, and extremely well-written, which slowly dawns on you as you watch it.
It was written and directed by the guy that plays the role of the accountant - Ray McKinnon. On the basis of this film, he will be famous soon enough - a true talent.
If you happen to see this film available for rent, do yourself a favor and watch it. I enjoy short films and have probably seen hundreds of them in my lifetime, so it’s not hollow praise when I say that this is the best one I’ve ever seen.
This (deservedly) won the Live Action Short Oscar two years ago. The director, writer, and star Ray McKinnon is probably best known as Vernon T. Waldrip, Penny’s “certified” suitor in O Brother, Where Are Thou?.
If you liked this, I think the most recent Oscar-winning short This Charming Man from Denmark is even better. It may be playing in a theater near you. Check it out.
I have seen that one ArchiveGuy - personally, I thought The Accountant was better, but I agree that it’s a great film. Another one of my favorites was 12:01, starring Kurtwood Smith. Too bad it was absorbed (and blandified) by Groundhog Day.
I thought The Accountant was very good too. I’m not sure what I would consider to be the best short film. It depends on what the time limit is. I like the film La Jetee very much.
One Week (Buster Keaton, 1920) Un Chien Andalou (Luis Bunuel/Salvador Dali, 1929) Cosmic Ray (Bruce Conner, 1962) La Jetee (Chris Marker, 1962) The Heart of the World (Guy Maddin, 2000)
I’ve obviously heard of 12:01, but I haven’t seen it (yet). However, I think Groundhog Day is brilliant, and from what I understand, completely different in tone and theme from the short it’s similar to.
Ooh! I forgot about Un Chien Andalou. Maybe I should just say this is the best recent short film I have ever seen.
The tone is very different. You really feel sorry for Kurtwood Smith - they don’t play it for laughs at all. (I liked Groundhog Day too, but I wanted them to adapt 12:01 faithfully).
Well, I wouldn’t call it an adaptation simply because it uses the same premise. Did you know that they actually did make a feature-length version of 12:01? It’s a TV movie (also unseen by me). Replacing the wonderful Kurtwood Smith with Jonathan Silverman isn’t promising, though…
I’ve heard it claimed that Groundhog Day was inspired by the novel Replay by Ken Grimwood. I’m dubious about that claim, just as I am about the supposed influence of 12:01 on Groundhog Day. The idea of reliving a period of time isn’t as original as all that.