Stuck | A Sex and Relationships Short Film | Short of the Week

A sex toy mishap leads to a night in the emergency room, where a freshly broken-up couple are forced to confront their issues on love and relationships.

A funny and emotionally honest short film, "Stuck" takes a raunchy, potentially gimmicky premise, and expands the joke into something deeper—building to a place that is surprisingly earnest and heartfelt.

A selection of Short of the Week, the web's leading curators of quality short films.

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FULL REVIEW: https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2019/08/16/stuck/

STUCK
https://stuckshortfilm.com
https://coreyshurge.com
https://filmcoop.to

"I’m a sucker for a funny, dialogue-driven, relationship movie. Combine that with a plot driven by a sex toy blunder and…oh my gosh, Corey Shurge…stop looking through my Google search history!

Considering how often they are cast aside in a derisive fashion, rom-coms get a bad rep. After all, being in a relationship is a nearly universal experience, so films that attempt to capture that, with clever banter and jokes, deserve to be much more than cinematic punching bags. Stuck takes a blue, potentially gimmicky premise, and expands the joke into something deeper, building to a place that is surprisingly earnest and heartfelt.

Now, admittedly, that earnestness might be a turnoff to some, especially as the film flirts with saccharine in its final half. But, in a world driven by snark, I found the film’s turn to be surprisingly sweet. The transition from butt play to sincerity is patiently executed—driven by two very solid performances from its stars, Kristopher Turner and Ruth Goodwin. As a two-hander (the film thankfully avoids the low-hanging comedic fruit of them explaining the situation to an incredulous nurse or doctor), it’s dependent on the chemistry between the performers, which is quite strong here. Turner and Goodwin are playful and dramatic in equal measure. The banter between them is witty and self-aware, but never feels too “written.” Moreover, the opening scene is the perfect example of a short film establishing “buy in” early. Obviously, there’s the sex (an immediate, lizard-brain hook), but the dialogue and chemistry between actors engages immediately." - S/W Curator, Ivan Kander

CREDITS
Written & Directed by Corey Shurge
Starring Kristopher Turner, Ruth Goodwin
Produced by Emily Andrews, Laura Nordin, Jen Pogue, Kristopher Turner
Cinematography by Benjamin Irwin
Production Design by Emilie Poulin, Mercedes Papalia
Edited by Shannon Albrink
Original Music by Naren Rauch

Reproduced on this channel with the permission of the Filmmaker