Otherhalf – by Ben West
A literal conflict with themselves, by Framestore
2016 | CGI | Comedy | Experimental | Human Nature | USA
Otherhalf is described by the authors as a comedy about a man who decides to “break up” with himself. The short film was written and directed by Ben West for Framestore, a production company that contributes to the development of films combining the weird characteristics of the plot to excellent visual effects. The story in question continues what appears to be the underlying theme of West’s short films: freaks living very unusual situations. Just think about Fugu & Tako, in which a man turns into a fish after eating too fresh sushi.
In the specific case of Otherhalf, from the plot you can also get a deeper sense. Who wouldn’t take a break from himself? Aren’t self-pity and self loathing the true motions of the mind? I mean, many romantic artists have built a career out of this (I’m obviously kidding… maybe). In this short film, a young average man is literally split in a half: the bust goes to a psychologist to be able to find a new agreement with his own feet, but they want something different, and so they decide to take a period to be devoted only to themselves.
While the bottom walks the world, the top finds another half: the better half. As a matter of fact, also the inferior part falls in love with the same pretty girl. Is this unforeseeable circumstance the solution to all the problems?
