Philippa & Nancy

Philippa & Nancy

****

Reviewed by: Jennie Kermode

Where does one find love in the modern world? In nightclubs? On the internet? Best friends Philippa and Nancy have tried all that, without success. Now they have developed a novel method. At night, they go out and take it in turns to lie down at the edge of the road, pretending to have been hit by cars, hoping dishy men will come to the rescue.

It's not as simple an approach as you might think. Sometimes one can lie there for hours without receiving any attention. Sometimes people who know what's going on interfere. Then there's the danger of bumping into someone you know.

Underlying this, or course, is the inescapable impression that Philippa and Nancy are already in love, with one another.

The mockumentary is, by now, far from a fresh format, but this film brings so much fresh energy to it that the result it much more fun than you'd expect. Perhaps the pace is not surprising given that it was originally made as part of the 48 Hour Film Project. As a consequence it looks a little rough - some scenes are very poorly lit - but this adds to the sense of intimacy by giving it something of the quality of a video diary. There's a real sense that, in viewing, we are being let into a secret.

A great piece of work that will leave you anticipating big things from its creators in the future.

Reviewed on: 12 Feb 2012
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Two friends demonstrate their unusual method of picking up men.
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Director: Paul White, Ciara Barry, Claire McInnes, Nora Smyth

Writer: Ciara Barry, Claire McInnes, Nora Smyth, Paul Whyte

Starring: Claire McInnes, Nora Smyth

Year: 2011

Runtime: 8 minutes

Country: UK

Festivals:

Glasgow 2012

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Related Articles:

48 Hours