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Moneybag Head

Patrick O'Brien
United States, 2020, 15 min.

In English.
Includes violence and adult language.

AIFF Award Winner:
Best Comedy Short

Dennis, a lonely sad sack with an unfortunate cranial deformity, finds himself romantically entangled with Catherine, a charming political cartoonist. After the two share an intensely intimate night together, Dennis is happier than he's ever been -- until he sees Catherine's latest cartoon.

Director's Statement

I've always been attracted to the visual aesthetic of early political cartoons, particularly Thomas Nast's "Boss Tweed" (the iconic fat cat with a moneybag for a head). As a lover of The Elephant Man, and sucker for comedy infused with tragedy, I wondered what it would be like if someone actually had a symbolically-loaded head like that... What would his x-ray look like? Would he ever know intimacy? What if he were poor?! I wanted to lure viewers in with an absurd premise and leave them surprised at how it recedes into the background as a real human story emerges.

Category: Comedy, Award Winner, Best of Fest.
Themes: Identity, Relationships.