Writer/director A.J. Fitzgerald makes the weight of grief both absurd and heartrending in his dramatic short film Blowing Up. Numbed by depression in the wake of a familial loss, Janine (Maria Todero) has withdrawn from her own life. She hasn’t been intimate with her boyfriend Scott (Don-Dimitri Joseph) in months, she no longer talks to her best friend Miranda (Danielle Rodd), and her lackluster performance has caught her boss Dolly’s (Tenaya Cleveland) attention in the worst way possible. As she celebrates her 30th birthday, Janine is pushed to her limit until she finally bursts.
Blowing Up is an affecting and sometimes darkly comic depiction of the isolating pain of grief, and Fitzgerald expands on that theme with an inventive twist: Janine is introduced to the audience as a vinyl blow-up doll. The doll’s blank expression and stiff composure make it a perfect scene partner and a striking and literal representation of Janine’s emotional state. She’s a shell of her former self, rendered utterly anhedonic by her grief, and the people in her life no longer know how to talk to her. With the doll, they’re stuck carrying the conversation as they try to find some way to engage. It amplifies the discomfort everyone feels around Janine, an awkwardness made literal by her physical presence.
Fitzgerald’s script is sharp, skewering the hollow cliches that people try to provide to those in mourning. Whether an invitation to open up or a proclamation that her pain is all in her head, every interaction seems to add to Janine’s sense of loneliness in her grief. Filled with pathos, Fitzgerald also manages to find moments of bleak humor as Janine numbly floats through her day. Her friends and colleagues start conversations that seem poised to provoke a reaction, but they’re met with a static blank expression painted on vinyl. The script feels strongest in the first half of the film when playing with this absurd dynamic, but the heart and care put into Janine’s journey and depiction of her pain still makes for a satisfying conclusion.
The entire cast does impressive work in filling out the world and driving the tone, especially in playing opposite Janine. Joseph takes a delicate approach to Scott, a measured tone of voice and deliberately careful language guiding his way as he tiptoes through tough conversations with his girlfriend. Rodd imbues Miranda with a brittle anxiety, her nervous physicality a nice and uncomfortable touch as she tries and fails to connect with her erstwhile best friend. Cleveland is a highlight as Dolly, portraying Janine’s tone-deaf and condescending boss with precision and humor.
Fitzgerald’s distinctive and compassionate filmmaking is matched by a strong creative team. Adrian Profumo’s editing guides the film with a deft hand, finding comedy and tragedy in Janine’s situation. Moments of high emotion are punctuated by comedic beats, releasing tension without overstaying their welcome. Christopher Cerda’s cinematography is lovely and evocative, Janine’s inflated silhouette carefully placed in the frame to draw the eye. The camera won’t let the audience forget what Janine looks like, and by extension, the emotional weight she’s carrying.
Blowing Up is a labor of love that reflects Fitzgerald’s empathetic eye and strong sense of style, making for a creative and entertaining story about finding your way through loss.
