It’s a shame that so many student made films fall under the radar, often failing to get the recognition they so thoroughly deserve. While short films won’t necessarily have the budget, big-names and technical prowess of their blockbuster counterparts, websites like Vimeo and projects like Virgin Media Shorts continue to demonstrate how the most original, heart-felt and challenging cinema is being built by amateur directors.
It’s exciting, then, that Oxford’s very own Ultimate Picture Palace are showing support for the latest crop of film-making talent by screening the brilliant 40 minute movie Dan and Jon vs. The Funsultancy. I was shown the film by its writer and director Jess Park, who admitted that, tonally, it’s a hard piece to pin down. The psychedelic narrative follows idealistic music hipster Jon who loses his job as a social events co-ordinator at work because his boss outsources the role to a ‘Funsultancy’. Faced with an inability to share his love of Aldous Huxley and J Dilla, Jon neurotically retreats into his own drug-fuelled head while coming into conflict with the expressionless, robotic funsultant.
Park told me how the film’s premise derived from his second year misadventures applying for student internships, and the script is clearly conceived as a wry glance at the world of career recruitment. Much of the film’s wit points to the ludicrousness of profit-maximising corporations who vehemently seek to market themselves as trendy, forward-thinking workplaces – most hilariously manifested in the character of Steve whose obsession with ‘creative problem solving’, ‘networking’, ‘pie-charts’ and ‘infographics’ proves incomprehensible to the ears of dopey Jon.
Yet Park seemed keen to emphasise that the film isn’t a veiled political statement. While the narrative has satirical edges, the charm of the story lies in its wizard execution which recalls the work of film-makers like Charlie Kauffman and Edgar Wright. The manically fast editing and the endlessly creative sound design stands in energising contrast with the dead-pan, understated performances, and Jon seems unwillingly trapped inside an absurdist Kafka experiment. The film had the same ironic touch which can be seen in Richard Ayoade’s latest release The Double, except imagine that The Double meets Adventure Time and that might give you a better sense of the whimsical tone which underpins the work.
It’s also wonderful to see Oxford on screen, with location shooting happening across places like Jericho and Gloucester Green. The film’s stand out scene features Port Meadow as a mental landscape representing Jon’s musical euphoria amidst a wickedly funny stand-off between Jon and the Funsultant behind the DJ decks. Admittedly, the film demands more than a pinch of salt, and those expecting a straight drama-narrative will find themselves contending with an overwhelming sensory assault – but if you’re willing to get on board, then Dan and John vs. The Funsultancy is a deeply satisfying, even uplifting, viewing experience.
The film was made over six weekends in Trinity term last year and has been in the editing room since then, as Park played with the sound design and cuts to find what worked best. Although it’s been a long process, the end result is impressive, hilarious and heart-felt. It’s absolutely right that the film is given a cinematic screening, demonstrating how student film-making at Oxford is a thriving enterprise well worth supporting.
‘Dan and Jon vs. The Funsultancy’ is being screened at The Ultimate Picture Palace on Cowley Road on Friday 2nd May (1st Week) at 5PM.
Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/673466379356090/?ref_notif_type=like&source=1
Tickets (£3): http://www.wegottickets.com/event/268080
