Indie Shorts – This is Matt Mason

Introduction

Before we begin, we should first mention that this short will probably be a difficult one to analyse without coming off as slightly biased, as several participants from this movie’s production have helped us out in the past. The film even states that it is associated with the Popcorn Perspective in its credits, a statement we believe everyone should be aware of before we start the review.

This is Matt Mason is the second film among the trio shown from the 2022 August indie shorts and is probably the most uplifting of the lot, being a blend between a slice of life and comedy. The film was written and directed by Jonathan Backman and stars David Muscat and Yuric Allison. 

Setting and Plot

This is Matt Mason, a desperate sales agent working remotely for long hours at a time, with his only company being the complaints of apathetic clients and colleagues who call him on occasion.

Despite the character’s constant deadpan expression during the first half of the short, he is almost at his wit’s end. With his clientele stagnating and his colleagues relentlessly giving him a difficult time, he is dangling from the end of his rope and is now looking for an alternate means to earn some cash.

The short does its best at capturing the difficulties and ramifications of working remotely. Many solo traders and freelancers can probably relate to this powerful scene where the protagonist stares into the camera, struggling to figure out what to do next. If you were to add a violin and lower the contrast, it would most certainly become a drama. However, Backman does not take that route, more focused on the slice-of-life elements of one working in isolation.

The short walks us through this man’s everyday monotonous life but adds some dry humour to spice it up. Backman’s use of comedy is very subtle but tends to hit in the right places, but it could also be due to Muscat’s on-point delivery. 

The second half of the film is a lot more uplifting than the first, giving Matt and the viewer a sense of hope as he receives a phone call from a secretary representing a mysterious firm called Odyssey, leading to what is basically an interview between Mason and the enigmatic CEO himself, Ashford Simmons. 

When introduced to Mr Ashford Simmons, we are presented with a welcoming philanthropist with a swagger that could give Morgan Freeman a run for his money. Their unorthodox conversation became the highlight of the film for me, from the unsuspecting philosophical questions to Mr Simmons’ mysterious nature.

While I did like the film overall, I was not too pleased with the phone calls by the secondary characters. They either felt too robotic or sounded like they had a stick shoved so deep up their ass that it could possibly be poking their eyeballs. Thankfully, Muscat’s sassy remarks to some of these callers did alleviate some of my irritation.

Characters and Performances

In terms of performance, Allison is probably the more confident actor, while Muscat is the more expressive one of the pair. While Matt Mason’s character is incredibly reserved, Muscat does what he can to add emotion to the personality. Whether it is annoyance from his peers, his desperation due to his situation or his cautious confrontation with Mr Simmons, Muscat walks delicately on that fine line without wanting to exaggerate.

Allison can be a force of nature when he is in the driving seat of a confrontation. On the other hand, Muscat does a next-to-brilliant job remaining humble throughout his interview. The chemistry in their discussion felt natural, probably due to their two actors’ long-time friendship.

Conclusion

This is Matt Mason is not a perfect film and can be a bit heavy despite its short runtime. However, its stronger second half capitalises on its captivating dialogue and the excellent chemistry between its two leads.