Ellison is a young man with a simple office job and a quiet, introverted life. Tonight he must finally go around to his parent's home for dinner, something he has been dodging for months due to a conflict with his father. The root of this conflict is that Ellison lives with a partner who is not real but is a hyper-realistic doll.
The plot of this short film suggests it could easily have been lurid and excessive in some hands, while in others it could have struggled to help the viewer connect with Ellison and thus spend a lot of the film on the outside of events. As it is the film actually does it remarkably well and delivers a lot with delicate touches. The plot spends a lot of time developing the situation and ultimately the conclusion occurs quite quickly and with perhaps too little time to let it unfold but it still works. We see and understand the affection of Ellison for his doll and, for better or worse, we see that it hurts his family and that he knows this. Kerson in the lead is a big part of this and he doesn't allow us to see him as some weirdo with a doll, but rather someone with an object he loves and fusses over like others do with gadgets or cars (or, not precisely like that, but you get the point). His work is the heart of the film but it is important to comment on Abe since it is easy to assume that sitting still and staring dead ahead was an easy job. On the contrary, Abe's depiction of the doll is a clever device from writer/director Menzies – it breaks the viewer out of the "doll" issue and puts our perspective nearer to Ellison's and it also serves as a very good visual device to conclude the film with clarity. Abe's performance is important as she is "empty" but with a warmth and slight smile to her static features; the small moments where the doll appears to act with affectionate looks are very important and delivered well by Abe – again because she is key in helping the viewer understand the relationship and get beyond the "weird" aspect.
Menzies delivery is good – it is delicate but never overplays the emotions, keeping it reasonably natural and convincing. The direction of the camera and the cast are equally good and the whole film looks and sounds good. It is a slight story but it is delicately told so that we understand the characters and don't get lost in the weirdness of the doll issue - in particular the decision to have a doll be "real" to the viewer was a good one that plays out very well.
