Virgil is nervous. As the young writer walks to his appointment with his mentor, he clicks his mechanical pencil repeatedly. The mid-morning light fades for a moment as he blindly rounds a corner on the campus path between two buildings when he collides with a woman. When they recover from their daze, Virgil apologizes before heading on his way. In an office in some building, Virgil has an intimidating meeting with his mentor who tears apart his work and goals. But the young man is determined to make his name as a writer. He won’t let intimidation or statistics stand in his way.
At just over seven minutes in length, it’s difficult to talk about this short film without giving everything away. There are some good performances, cinematography, and writing in Sisyphus Unbound. Those who enjoy stories about writers may enjoy this film in a series of similar stories. What this film suffers from, however, is its very short runtime. It’s hard to forge a connection with a character so quickly and with such little information. I found myself asking for more, just a minute of good exposition or a shot of the future. There are some good bones here, but that’s all we really have time for.
That being said, acting or theater instructors looking for some short examples of good acting may find this short film very useful in the classroom. It may also make an interesting film when shown alongside other short films. Sisyphus Unbound is an interesting experiment with flash fiction in film even if it doesn’t do a perfect job of clearly telling a story or building characters. Strong Optional Purchase.
Where does this title belong on public library shelves?
Sisyphus Unbound belongs on short film shelves.
What type of college instructor could use this title?
Instructors of drama, theater, and acting could use this title as an example of acting easily in a typical class period.