As the name implies, John Tomkins’ A Dark Tale is a twisted little fairy tale short involving death, job interviews, and tiny hats. The film is presented as more of a play than an actual movie, with overly theatrical performances and a zombified narrator guiding through, but that’s certainly not a bad thing. This style helps reinforce the dreamlike story and Gilliam-esque visuals.
A Dark Tale explores the life of Bob Diablo, played by James Cotter, an ambitious dolt that can’t seem to get a break. His family belittles him and no matter what he does he can’t seem to hold a job. After 200 jobs in 200 days, Bob thinks he landed a solid interview. While merrily strolling to said interview Bob is struck by a car and enters the afterlife. He’s then faced with a different kind of interview that he wasn’t prepared for.
Despite the extremely low budget look, this is still a very fun short film. The characters are interesting and the story is wonderfully odd and dark. Like many good shorts, it gets in does the job and gets out before anything feels tired or boring. It utilizes its 24-minute runtime adequately and never feels boring.
Using only £500 to cover the costs of makeup, locations, and food, this is the type of movie where the filmmakers had to do a lot with a little. The fact that they did pull it off is impressive, however I can’t help but think what this would have looked like if it were shot using some better equipment.
The poor quality is by no means a reason not to see A Dark Tale however. It’s easy to get past these qualities when an interesting and unique story is at play, which is the case with this film. The oddball randomness and nonsensical elements prove to be the most humorous and I found myself wanting more of that irreverence.
A Dark Tale is the type of short film that I would love to see as a bigger budget feature. The character of Bob and his strange family alone makes this a world that begs for expansion. Some may have issues getting past the micro-budget feel and the overacting, but most will find this a very rewarding journey.
