A BEST MAN | Omeleto Drama

A best man tries for a smooth wedding.
A BEST MAN is used with permission from Adam Elliott. Learn more at adamelliott.me.
Josh is the best man at the wedding of his two best friends, Kyle and Cass, and he's tasked with making the day go smoothly. His friendship with Kyle has a familiar dynamic, that of a smooth, confident alpha male and his amiable but less assertive friend. But his friendship with Cass is equally complicated, though for different reasons.
When some issues pop up as the marriage ceremony looms, Josh runs interference between both of them, as each reveals deeper worries, complicated history and emotional dilemmas. But Josh has a solution to it all... though it comes at a cost.
Directed by Dylan Tuccillo from a script written by co-lead actor Adam Elliott, this short drama seems to start as a slice-of-life romantic drama about a couple’s pre-wedding jitters. But as the exceptionally layered writing develops, it becomes a potent intersection of required, unexpressed romantic affection with a portrait of how mental health issues affect a group of relationships, with fascinating results.
The story begins with an almost buoyant pace and sense of anticipation that's built into the special occasion, as the camera sweeps into a stately home with guests waiting for a wedding to begin. And yet there's no aspirational sheen in the naturalistic style that befits the romance of the occasion. Instead, the look and feel are almost documentary-like, as it focuses on Josh’s efforts as the best man to keep the run-up to the ceremony from going off the rails.
Through Josh, we also meet his two best friends marrying one another, Kyle and Cassandra, though as tradition dictates, they are visited separately by him. At first, the characters and the dynamics between them -- confident alpha male with a less assertive best friend who is in love with his fiancee -- seem a well-worn classic trope. But it's a testament to the actors and the multifaceted script that they all reveal unexpected layers, including the idea that anyone -- even the seemingly confident man -- can struggle with mental health. Kyle and Cass have seemingly weathered a few storms, but there is always an undercurrent of worry, one that plagues Cass.
Josh, being the confidant to both parties, is sent by Cass to Kyle to deal with it at a crucial juncture. What he does, instead, is a masterstroke of the film’s storytelling, adding yet another dimension to A BEST MAN that skews it in a genuinely unexpected direction. To say more would be to give it away, but it's devilishly interesting to watch unfold -- and not a little chilling in its depiction of steadfast, even obsessive love.