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It’s one of THOSE days, am I right?” How many times have you had to say this while adding some ‘exotic’ words in a more heated manner? No matter how good things are going, we always have that one opposing force that tries to make our lives hard. The most frustrating part is when there is not just ONE thing, but a storm pouring viciously on us. For Murphy, it is that day which highlights the never-ending mundane nature of his current existence and an apparent unwillingness that keeps him trapped in an infinite loop of discomfort. A Day in the Life of Murphy also accentuates SOME of his cringe-worthy past choices and serves as a reminder of how desolate his future without effort is. What he needs is not only a BETTER day but an enhanced view of the world around him.
It can be said that the essence of purpose, the ‘unbrainer’ execution, as well as the reality and accessibility “SO-true” saying all come into play when referring to indie films and the DIY stylistic, character, and narrative-centric efforts filmmakers take on a lower budget. These are precisely the points that we are entreated to hear through a 15-minute short movie that comes courtesy of writer, director, cinematographer, and editor Jalen Snowden, who also stars in the film. The movie paints a bluntly straightforward portrait of one person’s very BAD day and both the consequences and opportunities such an experience can result in when one puts in the effort to accept and recognize the larger picture. In several respects, is the film rough around the edges production-wise? Yes. Does this therefore translate to it being a poor film? Not at all. Yes, folks, get past the surface. You know, it’s about that time again.
Here, the narrative follows one man into his rather maligned “anything that CAN go wrong DOES” kind of day. The Mally Maroon realizes that although some of these events come with acknowledgements and agitations, they can also have the power to alter his life forever or sink him deeper into an already existing funk. And this part of the story is conveyed in the most rudimentary possible ways: storytelling and visuals. Although it certainly doesn’t, in itself, offer deep explorations into its foundational theme, it is an amusing point counter to what we deem as bombastic storytelling: deep fundamentally immersing voyages.
WAS that STRAIGHTFORWARD excursion NECESSARY? This critic would argue “Not at all.” This seems to the a core part of living life, and what problems can manifest that turn our world upside down: being tardy for work, feeling far too underappreciated, believing that things cannot possibly be worse, or that there is no hope of improvement.
Personalized chaos is something we go through every day and commensurate chaos is put upon us. As a result, we grow sufferer from untouchable stress. When this stress builds up too much, it suddenly bursts like a volcano, but instead of accepting the burdening stress we try to bury it underneath. However, what is important to note here is that we are able to the put the stress under the surface is how we embrace situation that can help us grow. And yes, this does include requirement for a lot of change! When it comes to getting rid of or changing the willingness or adapting has been found, who knows what can occur. To be perfectly honest, the notion proposes an intriguing scenario. The film manages to capture my attention the most because by the end of it, I was able to understand how its central character is capable to justify all the mess, which as a result makes the ending a lot more useful piece of evidence. It is something that goes above all the tired conclusions.
The monochromatic visuals align with the narrative properly since they can be construed as depicting the grim reality we see at the beginning and the annoying drudgery the events evoke since one person’s day gets so unbelievably out of the ordinary. I am grateful that the rather dull story does manage to get placed in a well-earned, more upbeat narrative, but the shift does seem abrupt. As already suggested earlier, I think there were certain production issues that stood out, particularly some mingled audio and editing that felt slightly disjointed or simply a bit out of sync with what was happening in front of the camera. But these did not bother me that much and were not really much of a letdown in terms of the holistic watching experience. What I continue to back is EFFORT because the effort that goes into MAKING a film of any length, even a 15-minute one, is so daunting that I really feel the general crowd is oblivious to. This is all my OPINION, of course.
It’s funny to see Snowden in his lead role, considering that Murphy is a highly troubled individual trying his best to not allow a specific day, along with all of it’s terrible consequences, to alter who he knows himself to be. But somehow, he is still sleeping. (Shocker, I know) The crux of the issue, at least to Murphy, is that even whilst dealing with all the chaos, Murphy can’t seem to get a sliver of control over the situation. But after everything, when the last straw ultimately appears, Murphy is so far gone that all he wants to do is self-reflect. This enables could potentially allow him to reach the pedestal of self-actualization that he so desperately craves. I may not stand by the sentiment that Snowden’s portrayal of the character is particularly captivating, but I do believe he has a tremendous grasp over the character of Murphy. This enables him to, strange as it may seem, focus his efforts on the role itself. This insight is indicative of what every acclaimed filmmaker and artist spends years in search of: improvement.
To even venture out in this manner for the world to judge requires courage, and in itself, that is commendable. I believe the same applies to the primary supporting casts which include Lesley Payne as Les, Murphy’s (We get the feeling) long-suffering boss who does have some compassion, but who is also not willing to tolerate consistent INconsistency from her employees, and Gabrielle Barrera as Charlie, Murphy’s on again off again girlfriend who we might think is largely responsible for his issues but more likely is the voice of reason that he needs. Cameron Snowden and Logan Snowden also make other appearances as Murphy’s co-workers from the local pizzeria who seem to have some fun at his expense when they speculate how Murphy is going to react to some situations.
In total, “A Bad, Bad Day” might not be everyone’s liking, original, or even executed well, due to the fact it is just another short drama coming out of the indie block. But this film still represents the commitment and drive of the filmmakers behind it. They create without caring about the aim which oh so frequently takes aim at and for sure hits the mark. That is life. Let’s be honest: if WE choose to ignore this base fact, no matter how much we think we’ve seen it all, then we’re in danger of ignoring something we can never afford to ignore our humanity. This is annoying for a lot of people, but it is extremely crucial. How film manages to make us think, say, in the way we really should is quite astounding. And then how it allows us to arrive at a conclusion sounds rather troubling as well, but in the end, it is one that will benefit us as well as others.
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