As a short film events organizer, it’s generally in my best
interests to not pick favourite films, only to show as many high quality shorts
as possible in order to ensure a great turn out of audience members. However, every so often I have to stop and
give praise to a film which really encapsulates modern issues. For this reason alone, Vivi Hernandez’s “Live
Stream” is an eight-minute masterpiece. It
tells the story of Susie, a video logger with young Nigella Lawson vibes, who
we see sensually preparing cakes for her online fanbase and portraying herself
as one half of a perfect marriage.
However as is often the case, things are not so perfect beneath the
surface. Her husband, skilfully played
by Kristian Evans, is nonchalant to the point of emotionally neglectful,
treating her not as the modern Goddess Susie hopes to be, but as a kitchen slave. It’s a poignant reflection that even in 2019,
archaic values of a woman’s place being in the kitchen still persist. The film’s real genius is derived from its
use of the text comments from the online fanbase. The text acts as a third character, praising
Susie, then delighting in her downfall, initially heightening the comedic response
from the film, then the emotional response the viewer has for Susie’s emotional
turmoil. Hernandez’s acting is vibrant, with the right level of theatricality
to land not just its comedic punches, but the emotional ones as well. I can think of only a few better ways to
spend eight minutes than watching this endearing little short.
