Squirrel | Dark Comedy Short Film

A meager apology tests a woman's fortitude to forgive.
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Squirrel
Directed by Alex Kavutskiy
www.alexkavutskiy.com/
"There’s nothing funny about getting a serious injury from a car crash, yet Alex Kavutskiy‘s Sundance and Fantastic Fest crowd pleaser, Squirrel, is a comedy so black it’s hard not to laugh. When a pathetic apology tests a woman’s capacity for forgiveness, two unlikely strangers embark on a journey to find closure. A film that explores social etiquette in the face of the unthinkable, Squirrel is a twisted cringe-comedy where the absurd humor and dry performances will make you laugh, then instantly feel guilty about it.
Squirrel stars Max Jenkins who turned heads in the comedy scene with his guest role on the web-series turned HBO hit, High Maintenance. Here he plays opposite fellow television comedian Andrea Rosen, and both actors expertly pull off Kavutskiy‘s deadpan writing, which wittily pokes fun at performative apologies and the selfish reasons people seek forgiveness. When Patrick (Jenkins) reveals that he was texting a rather bad joke from a movie when he ran his car into Noreen (Rosen), Kavutskiy proves just how long a joke can go on and still be funny. Simply put, comedic timing is everything, and Squirrel is proof of that.
While on the subject of timing, Kavutskiy explains how serendipitously his cast came to be: “The original seed was wanting to write something for Andrea Rosen and Max Jenkins. I was big fans of both and I thought they’d be incredibly fun together on screen. I had just worked with Andrea on an Adult Swim project and Max was visiting LA for pilot season, so I had a window to make something,” Kavutskiy told Short of the Week. In true indie filmmaking fashion, the pieces certainly fell in place just when they needed to.
Kavutskiy, born in Kiev and raised in Los Angeles, is a self-deprecating sort, and as such seems surprised by Squirrel’s success-which only makes his responses about how the film came together and how it works that much more funny. “The premise is obviously pretty silly, so I was worried about getting the tone right, but fortunately, I had a really terrific team who took everything seriously. The actors didn’t wink at the camera, Ryan didn’t light the shots to look dumb, Ester didn’t dress the sets all goofy, Jason didn’t score it to be funny, etc.,” Kavutskiy deadpans.
Whether you find Squirrel “silly” or not, it’s made quite a wave on the festival circuit, with notable accolades such as a selection at Sundance, the Grand Jury Prize at Fantastic Fest, as well as Audience Awards at Calgary Underground and the Chicago Critics Film Festival. We saw it last fall and were instantly smitten, but had to wait for Alex to hear back from a few festivals before featuring. Hello Sundance! With that bump the film received further play, and today it is debuting online as a Staff Pick Premiere.
Kavutskiy is currently working on another short, which he describes as “exactly the opposite” in tone from Squirrel, while pitching television content and working on a feature. “All the clichés”, he says. Kavutskiy can pretend that his talents are nothing special, but we respectfully agree to disagree." - S/W Curator Chelsea Lupkin
Reproduced on this channel with the permission of the filmmakers.

[@masnaringquest4626]

The whole film, he thinks he's making ammends to being forgiven, only to be denied in honest, stone-faced and vengeful brutality whilst kneeling in front of her on the throne. Brilliant. 👏

[@gemstar7286]

It was obvious she never forgave him, the whole going to the party and making small talk was so awkward aswell . Maybe suing him might stop him from text driving, i think he would have continued othwerwise.

[@Furgettyu]

Probably the most destroying birthday party ever. 😂 All the awkwardness came through xtremly well, congrats!

[@markgajda663]

I have only watch up to where he explains the text and I love everything about this. The awkward way he tries to apologize, it seems like such a real interaction. I’m going to watch the rest but I already love it. Picking such an obscure Rat Race reference as the focal point, it’s gold.

[@rose12787]

The acting was so wonderful. Such a powerful story.

[@camez2345]

Unless that's exactly how he is in real life and so it wasn't much of a stretch, the guy who plays Patrick was fantastic. They all were, but I felt like every single element of delivery for Patrick was exactly what I'd have expected him to act like. I also really liked the detail of the husband putting the flowers in water with the paper still on. It says, "I'm going to irritate the shit out of you for many years to come."

[@allanlees299]

Anyone who texts while driving should be banned from ever driving again. It's not merely stupid, it's irresponsible and utterly stupid. There is simply no excuse for such appallingly selfish behavior.

[@TheTonyMcD]

I would agree, but I think we need to focus first on the far more irresponsible, stupid, and selfish act of driving drunk. Which in some states is merely a ticket for your first offense... Let that sink in...

[@christianmiller.MathTeacher]

@TheTonyMcD Hi there! You bring up a crucial point. While both drunk driving and texting while driving are dangerous, it's worth noting that individuals who text while driving often possess better mental faculties than those who drive under the influence. However, this doesn't diminish the seriousness of either behavior. Driving after drinking demonstrates impaired judgment of risks and dangers, while texting while driving still presents a significant distraction. The widespread use of smartphones while driving means that texting can pose a greater danger overall. It's imperative to prioritize safe driving habits and avoid all distractions behind the wheel, whether it's texting or any other form of impaired driving.

[@ChryztinaWonderland]

This was poignant and amazingly done 👏....the rawness is golden . Wow.

[@jvgreendarmok]

Mistake at 8:33 - Noreen should have said "When Patrick texted you", not "When Patrick texted me". I wondered if that was going to turn out to be important, but it seems like it was just a bad line read that got accidentally used.

[@richardaversa7128]

Yeah I caught that too, seems to be no reason for it. Everything else was so well done it seems like a strange mistake

[@LightFoLLowTHE]

It was an accident

[@LightFoLLowTHE]

It wasn't a mistake. It showed how she, the victim, could accidentally do something she didn't intend to do. I think...

[@garrettlees]

Yup, caught it too, just like the Starbucks cup in Game of Thrones. Whoooopsies.

[@christophernelson2520]

The way it was stated was perfect for the flow of the film .. totally weird scenario

[@spirokaci]

Pure cynicism. The only ''gun'' left to use . Brilliant movie.

[@naynaynay324]

No, you can't make up for it.

[@eazyridin7283]

As soon as I heard Kathy Bates, I knew this was about to get twisted

[@tonycruz6183]

Amazing job. Love it❤

[@anewnationentertainment]

such a awkward yet interesting short film, all the characters seemed robotic which made it even funnier in it's moments, it is a comedy after all. Don't text while driving people😃

[@lovelife2day]

I remember being at the movie theatre watching Rat Race.....laughed so hard all the way throughout the movie.....so funny.

[@minamayes1529]

The husband is like a big giant teddy bear! I want one! 😍😍🤗🤗

[@Godrules1111]

A+ story...writing...ending!

[@DamonPlantaseed]

LOL I LOVE THIS

[@ewintertyler]

I loved the acting .

[@mondegreen]

Loved this

[@djamilamarouf7027]

So sad that everybody knows to to drive & text but i see this every day

[@geoben9801]

Higher level acting, subject matter and script. All done with a poignant sense of dark humour. Well done! Bravo ❗ 👏👍👏👍 ps,; I've never watched Rat Race✌️ 😊

[@SeanMiller318]

What a great short! Nice. 👍👍

[@Tkd_on1]

Right up my ally🤣👏🏾 mad funny

[@GeraldBlack1]

PSA, it's not worth a life!

[@curiouslyunruffled]

This was such a fun short!!!

[@myriamguns2162]

It is actually a PAINFUL short. The raw emotions. The loss, the remorse, the need for revenge...

[@This_is_my_spout]

@@myriamguns2162 It's all that. But it's also hilarious.

[@clasencoach]

Amazingly quirky. Qurikily amazing.

[@undergrounddojokeyboardcag701]

I mean...... You should have bought a squirrel.

[@Hag_of_Fangorn]

8:34 *you

[@luisaciro4487]

Muy buena.

[@ajgaines4713]

🤣🤣🤣🤣 you should have bought a squirrel

[@joeowens6180]

Brother, talk about just revenge! Somber, rightful with a sting.

[@revolverdolls]

Really good

[@fridonina]

Did she say "when he texted me that" ? 8:33 Confused

[@cjmacq-vg8um]

oddly, the end of this movie reminded me of "fargo."

[@billyb01]

enjoyed the acting. main guy reminds me of alan tudyk

[@gregmeissner9960]

I like it

[@HookBeak_66]

Best not read the synopsis/comments until later. Just treat it like her driving into the unhnown , later discovering how things end up. Such an unlikely characters that meet, dark comedy that's uncomfortably cringeworthy.

[@tiapina7048]

I cringed so much about what he said in the loo.

[@predragdjuranovic8039]

Amazing woman 😍

[@bamchisangma-vm9xt]

Very nice funy 😅😅😅😅

[@carlosmyers8806]

This movie was really good five stars very funny but at the same time it touched me in a bad way because I got hit at a traffic light my pretty girl in Pennsylvania who live close to a swimming area and she got away with it she T-boned me and calls me spinal problems for the rest of my life and she got away with it because she was pretty and because of some no good loser cop let her get off because she was pretty you would be surprised how far being pretty can take you but I know you should get hers God never lets ugly get away it comes to you sooner or later I just hope she got here sooner I hope she gets T-boned and her spine gets hurt for life now as far as the movie pretty funny stuff five stars🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟😊👍🎥😎

[@LCMM2150]

👏👏👏

[@sirrickles5487]

Pog

[@tiburon736]

What the fycj bro

[@ranjanachaudhary2110]

Bhagahsbsgahaha

[@micknordstrom2591]

I think this was an akward film, kinda funny, but I did not like the end. I actually felt for the texting driver because he was not an evil person... I think she was.

[@FFOGHORN]

She was understandably bitter! I’m not sure that makes her evil. And after it all, the perpetrator reserves the right to text at red lights - clearly not getting the enormity of cause and effect to the victim.

[@patriotcanuck6485]

Not funny

[@laxxdood]

so boring, hardly comedy

[@zaaigoed]

Not funny. Not interesting.

[@FFOGHORN]

To you.

[@pratomobayu6868]

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