Fools & Gold Review

Fools & Gold is a 2017 short film written, directed, and produced by Nate Nguepsi.

There is a lot of interesting world building that is at play in Fool & Gold that has a lot of unique flair, but this is one story that deserves a larger runtime to accomplish all that it sets out to achieve.

The greatest aspect of this piece easily goes to the characters on-screen. The style and performances across the board here are all excellent. The standout being McKenzie Moser as Sunny, who brings a lot of strength and style to her character.

This is part of the reason this film begs to be longer. It is almost frustrating that we are not seeing the larger beats of what lead up to our gas station robbery beginning and the sudden appearance of a clown at the same gas station. These are great individual fragments, but in this short form medium there just isn’t enough to chew on here.

Where the film needs a little more love is in the editing. There are some choppy cuts from different scenes that feel as though they cut off dialogue pieces or cutaway at off beat moments. The movement from inside the gas station to outside and the Mexican standoff are two examples of this.

The other strange piece was the use of heavy color filters in the driving segments of the short. While an aesthetic choice for sure, it almost seemed like a way to cover for some green screen effects that were used to film these scenes. It could be an incorrect assumption, but it stands out a little too much either way.

When we aren’t in heavy color filters, though, the film looks great. The work by cinematographer Alvaro Aro is very strong, creating crisp visuals throughout. A lot of credit is also because of the design team of the film. The characters and settings they inhabit are dripping with a strong sensibility of design.

Serial

Overall, this film is a bit of an exercise in frustration. On one hand, it is a piece that has dominant characters and an interesting story. On the other, though, it feels far too short for the ambition that is on screen. This at some point deserves a revisit and fleshed out into a full feature film, as anyone who watches it will surely feel by the end.

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Cheers!

Daniel Hess

Film Festival and Award Highlights:

Official Selection St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase

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