Having lost her husband, her son, her job, Cleo (Adrian Cowan)finds
refuge in an old and dingy basement full of rotten memories (hers?), in
which an old man (Robert Nolan) has found his abode, an old man who
doesn't mind that she snorts up half a fortune in cocaine, accompanied by
cigarette upon cigarette, who patiently listens to her rants about warning
labels on cigarette boxes, and only confirms her in her beliefs that
everybody, even the tobacco companies, have conspired against her. But who
could this old man be - sometimes he seems to be her dad, but then why
would she keep her dad in a dingy basement? And how come dad accepts her
cocaine habit and chainsmoking just like that? And how does a rope factor
into the equation? My Old Man is a fine little short
that really gets things right: The story (as it unfolds in the dialogue)
is engaging, garnered with dark humour, and has a great twist to it, the
dialogue is poignant, the two actors are great and really play well off
one another, and the subtle directorial approach meets the requirements of
the story just right. Recommended!
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