The concept behind Filling In is part "Breaking Bad", part buddy picture, part caper, part fish out of water story, and part comedy for the whole family. Tall order! Yet, this short film manages to pull it off and leaves you wanting more.
From the opening scenes, Director Bradley Hawkins, Editor Ryan Geesaman, and Cinematographer Brian Shaub have the audience guessing
what exactly is this "grizzled vet" luring the new guy into? I won't spoil the reveal, but let's just say it's a comedy and it manages to get your imagination going. The music, the shot choices, the pacing, the production design and the attention to detail (from tiny props to complicated visual effects) all build to an entertaining result.
Credit should also be given to the lead actors. Karl Holtz fully sells his role as a grizzled, restless journeyman and mentor with a longstanding bar tab. Jared Odrick plays Kevin, the gentle giant and reluctant newbie. Mr. Odrick embodies the part well – completely playing against his tough guy image. You can't help but root for his character and I would love to see Odrick fill in for many more roles in this magical world.
Which leads me to the script itself. The characters and set pieces created by writers Peter Fenton, Ausin Haitos and Bradley Hawkins are delightful. The execution and promise of this film as concept are inventive and imaginative. Again without giving too much plot away, the cleverness of Kevin's missions and the purpose of his prize are handled with great comedic timing. The montage of uses in the field is laugh out loud funny and unpredictable. Also a delight was Alex Pires as the agency's secretary, Patrick. Improvised and/or scripted, Mr. Pires totally steals the last act and introduces us to new directions for Kevin's future. Again, it would be great to see where else the creators could take this open ended story.
Dadley Productions last film, Roller Coaster, took many winning turns on the festival circuit. I fully expect to see Filling In do the same and take home some well deserved awards this year!
