Miss Fortunate – Short Film
Production Designers – Lucie Red (initial design) – additional shooting days Miryam Jacomini
Director – Ella Jones
Production Company – Radical Media
Cast – Ben Whishaw, Molly O’Shea
Scarlet’s mother had died recently, leaving her with two cats and a whopper of a tax bill. And despite it all, she’s also dealing with her peccadilloes, including constant nosebleeds and a crush on a boy she can’t quite talk to but likes to text with.
She must navigate the funeral preparations with a circle of well-meaning but hovering family friends, who are trying to find pallbearers for the day. As she tries to balance her own life and the ending of her mother’s, she finds herself navigating waves of pain, which land her in unexpected places after making unexpected decisions. Directed by Ella Jones and written by Molly O’Shea (who also stars in the lead role), this artful, smart short dramedy blends both the piquant and the melancholic, capturing a pivotal time of its main character’s life and proving that life’s challenges can spur the greatest growth and personal reinvention.
For a film about grief, the short possesses an eccentric engaging whimsy, starting with the rich use of color and bold visuals to its rat-a-tat dialogue. Imbued with an ironic (and very British) sense of humor, the writing also interlaces moments of reflection and sadness into Scarlet’s journey, making for a striking tonal balance that is tragicomic and compelling.
