THE BACKSEAT | Omeleto Comedy

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An elderly couple drives their daughter to work.

Two octogenarian parents are enlisted to drive their adult daughter to work one day. The commute may be short, but the list of long-simmering resentments and tensions is long, and the ride proves anything but easygoing as the family travels together in close proximity.

Directors Joe Stankus and Ashley Connor use a blend of documentary and fiction film techniques to create a unique hybrid film, creating a narrative based on very real familial conflicts and dynamics.

All the performers are non-actors: in fact, they are family members of the filmmakers themselves, who enlisted them to portray themselves in a fictional scenario. However, the performers were not given a script or even a story, responding instead to cues and directions as they were given. They're captured in naturalistic, handheld camera movement that is a hallmark of projects as diverse as the Maysles brothers' "direct cinema" documentaries and fiction films like THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT.

But while the performers are acting out a story, they're still performing themselves, and the result is an intriguing mix of real life and narrative that blurs the very idea of reality. The onscreen story may be made up, but the feelings and dynamics between the family members are very real -- and very relatably funny at times.

THE BACKSEAT is both deeply funny and familiar in its neuroses as an engaging portrait of complex family life. The deep sense of obligation and connection are enduring, and so is the intensity that these can hold upon people. But the bonds that weave it all together are full of love, which is why they weigh so heavily, why they're so difficult to break and why they give such meaning to human existence.

Omeleto Comedy

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The father saying "I think she has a time limit" is great. A perfectly real line.

YoYo-gtiq

The script to this looks like it was just pure improv. So Well Done!!!! I would love to see even more, maybe what happened during the Passover Seder and if everyone liked the gravy, lol.

demijour

This is literally my Jersey grandparents, with their thick accents, yelling from opposite sides of the house, the overcrowded photos on the fridge, the struggling with the phones, the slow to getting ready, the bagel eating, the bickering about directions. You have recaptured my youth.

adamrice

The acting in this is stellar - why does it have such a low view count??? It is such a beautiful depiction of real families. I felt like I was watching my own grandparents and aunt

tricia

This is absolutely brilliant! My grandmother used to say “There she is, Ms. America!” Exactly my grandparents. This brought back beautiful memories!!

elizabethponchak

I loved this so much. Mom and dad are so sweet and remind me of my grandparents or a little like my mom and dad. Mom cant leave the house without the grooming, makeup, and a spritz of their perfume (that she's probably been wearing for more than 40 decades). Dad calling up to mom, "Are you ready yet" several times. Dad seemed so patient....knew that his wife would take a while. The family had a favorite place for bagels and looked like they had been there plenty of times with their daughter in the past. Love how mom is constantly thinking about the party, where to put things. Love the family dynamics. They did a wonderful job in capturing this precious moment in time, allowing us a glimpse into this families life. I love shorts or films more like this than anything--normal people, doing ordinary things, but I find something so endearing about this short. ♥ Well done writers, directors, camera men, and actors!

strawberrypez

6:30 - the mom says she's sorry about the perfume. HA! Yeah, right. She wore that perfume on purpose. She even placed her arm just behind the driver's side headrest, so she would basically be putting her perfume in her daughter's face.

AGDinCA

I agree, like being in the back of the car with my dad and step mum, when they pick me up from the train station (when I go to visit). They are chatting about what needs to be done during the day and I am sat in the back listening. Its like my own tv show.
Great short film everyone.

kaywoodward

Very well done! I felt like I was sitting in the backseat with my elderly parents. I’m equally impressed all 3 played themselves 😊

lauriejoneswilson

Absolutely delightful---Very few times a short or a film of any length is giving us real bits of life like this one....The elderly couple was adorable and the daughter a real keeper. Loved the three of them. Obviously they are family...but at the same time they are subtly trying to reenact themselves. Congrats!! You touched my soul...in Europe.

felipelotas

This was a beautiful little slice of life. I felt like I was in the backseat with my mother and father-in-law.

mchoffner

I'm a 74 YO man, never married, no kids and this made me realize how lucky I am.

bogtrottername

This is a glimpse into the life of real people, real lives, and the daily signs of the subtle, but meaningful ways family members show love to one another. I have watched this multiple times and keep coming back to it. This is one of the best Omeleto short films I have seen.

Summerdee