Arrested Development
**Award-Winning SHORT**
Skippy Massey
Humboldt Sentinel
Who knew a game of Paper, Rock, Scissors could be so dangerous?
Jerrycan is the story of a young boy who is bullied into some dangerous risk-taking to impress his friends. Bad decisions and peer pressure can be like that, and they often have terribly bad outcomes as a result.
The plot concerns a gang of young teens, their group behavior, and the shifting hierarchies of leadership within. The kids must all ask of themselves how much they’re willing to do to gain the respect of the others and themselves. We get the idea they come from shitty homes, have shitty parents, and don’t have anything to look forward to but a less-than-shitty direction for the future.
Written and directed by Bridle Path Films’ Julius Avery, it’s a superb suspenseful and uncomfortable drama from start to finish. Close, quick shots capture the tension and nervousness; the soundtrack complements every scene with a brilliant undertone; untrained child actors, an improvisational camera style, and a stark storyline make for a gravity and grittiness that’s all of its own.
And it captures the essence of at-risk kids to a T.
Jerrycan was the Jury Prize winner at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008 and won the Australian Film Institute (AFI) Award for Best Short Film in the same year, as well as honorable mentions at the Berlin and Sundance festivals.
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