Three Short Films Of Allison Pennell

"My armpits are sweating." Okay, so it's not the standard comment one hears the bride say during a wedding video, but that's what makes Mating, one of three short films by Allison Pennell, a lot of fun. Catching the unusual highlights of the wedding ceremony, from the minor (the groom zipping his fly during dressing) to the major (a minister's confession that "all ministers hate ringbearers and flower girls"), Pennell's artsy black and white short dips behind the scenes to capture some real jewels both visually and verbally while still doing justice to the ceremony of marriage ("better than any other institution"). Portrait of Jenny, which opens the video, is an affecting--but never smarmy--look at a young woman confined to a wheelchair. Jenny has a pretty upbeat attitude, and a finely honed sense of humor ("my severed spinal cord is your ingrown toenail; we all have our realities"). The weakest piece is the finale, Night & Day, a brief peek at the lives of a pair of professional ballroom dancers. A little eclectic, perhaps, this is still enthusiastically recommended for larger video collections looking for something a bit different. (R. Pitman)