Very rarely do you find a film that strikes the perfect balance between comedy and tragedy. Gin & Dry is only fifteen minutes long but the emotional journey it takes you on is moving and heartfelt.
The story centers around a group of residents at an old age home around Christmas time. Albie and Dee enjoy a drink to the dulcet tones of Nina Simone whilst reminiscing about the first time they met. Not only is this scene an introduction to the wonderful David de Keyser, it's our first look at Ross McLennan's beautiful cinematography. The sweet moment is interrupted by an angry elderly resident barging into the room to demand some of Albie's alcohol. This sets the comedic tone for the rest of the film.
When the elderly residents are unceremoniously informed that significantly less alcohol has been purchased for their Christmas celebration and that its going to be rationed, their reaction to the news (and it's bearer) is hilariously aggressive. They hatch a plan to steal the alcohol and, in the process, tie up an unwitting employee and take part in the world's slowest chase sequence. The ensemble is perfectly cast and lends itself to a great comedic dynamic.
The film takes a mellow turn when Albie, after stealing back the alcohol, gift wrapping each bottle and gently placing it by the sleeping residents of Twin Willows, settles back into his room with his wife, Dee. Nina Simone plays once again and as they repeat the conversation they first had we discover (through a wonderful moment of cinematographic movement) that Dee isn't really there.
We end on Albie- alone but happy to spend the evening with a good deed under his belt and the memory of his wife to keep him company. It's a wonderfully melancholic end to a delightful film.
The story centers around a group of residents at an old age home around Christmas time. Albie and Dee enjoy a drink to the dulcet tones of Nina Simone whilst reminiscing about the first time they met. Not only is this scene an introduction to the wonderful David de Keyser, it's our first look at Ross McLennan's beautiful cinematography. The sweet moment is interrupted by an angry elderly resident barging into the room to demand some of Albie's alcohol. This sets the comedic tone for the rest of the film.
When the elderly residents are unceremoniously informed that significantly less alcohol has been purchased for their Christmas celebration and that its going to be rationed, their reaction to the news (and it's bearer) is hilariously aggressive. They hatch a plan to steal the alcohol and, in the process, tie up an unwitting employee and take part in the world's slowest chase sequence. The ensemble is perfectly cast and lends itself to a great comedic dynamic.
The film takes a mellow turn when Albie, after stealing back the alcohol, gift wrapping each bottle and gently placing it by the sleeping residents of Twin Willows, settles back into his room with his wife, Dee. Nina Simone plays once again and as they repeat the conversation they first had we discover (through a wonderful moment of cinematographic movement) that Dee isn't really there.
We end on Albie- alone but happy to spend the evening with a good deed under his belt and the memory of his wife to keep him company. It's a wonderfully melancholic end to a delightful film.