Desserts (film)

1998 film

Desserts

Directed by| Jeff Stark
Written by| Jeff Stark
Produced by| Jill Robertson
Starring| Ewan McGregor
Cinematography| Kate Stark
Music by| Simon Boswell
Alex Heffes
Algernon Thompson

Release date

* 1998 (1998)

Running time

| 2 minutes 35 seconds

Desserts is a 1998 British short film directed by Jeff Stark and starring (as the only actor) Ewan McGregor.[1][2][3][4] Desserts won the Silver Bear for Best Short Film at the 1999 Berlin Film Festival.[5][6][7][8]

## Cast

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* Ewan McGregor as Stroller

## Plot

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A man (the stroller) is walking along a beach and finds a chocolate éclair, ponders over it for a bit then decides to eat it, then suddenly is yanked into the sea by a hook and line.

## Production

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The film has no dialogue.[9][10] "I was faxed the script - and it was just one sheet of paper, but it made me laugh so much that I just had to do it." explained Mc Gregor.[11] The film was his third short and the "black humour" and "minimal commitment" implied decided the actor.[11]

The film was produced by Jill Robertson (producer’s assistant on Trainspotting and production supervisor on A Life Less Ordinary), who approached the actor. It was filmed in a single day at Turnberry in Ayrshire on a budget of £13,975. [12]

## Release

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The film was released in October 1998.[12]

## Reception

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The short was described as "a typical “funny with a twist” short that uses one of our weak points to question how we feed ourselves as a species: greed."[13] The short was also praised for its "sense of reduction and simplicity".[14] Other commentators found it was "a cruelly funny short film"[11] and " one of those shorts that function like jokes and whose success hinges on the punchline. The sheer unexpected violence of the denouement [...] leaves the audience stunned."[12]

It received the Silver Bear for Best Short Film at the 1999 Berlin Film Festival.[15]

It was screened in various festivals, including Busan[16] and Sundance.[17]

## References

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1. ^ Nash, Patrick (2012-01-12). Short Films: Writing the Screenplay: Writing the Screenplay. Creative Essentials. ISBN 978-1-84243-519-9.
2. ^ Cineforum (in Italian). Federazione italiana cineforum. 1999.
3. ^ L'alternativa VI Festival de Cinema independent de Barcelona: 19-27 novembre '99 (in Catalan). La Fábrica de Cinema Alternatiu. 1999.
4. ^ Kwartalnik filmowy (in Polish). Państwowy Instytut Sztuki. 2000. p. 366.
5. ^ "Film card". Torino Film Fest. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
6. ^ Jacobsen, Wolfgang (2000). Fifty Years Berlinale. Nicolai. p. 150\. ISBN 978-3-87584-906-6.
7. ^ Cinemaya. A. Vasudev. 1999. p. 52.
8. ^ Dyja, Eddie (1999-12-01). British Film Institute Film and Television Handbook 2000. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 73\. ISBN 978-0-85170-764-8.
9. ^ Tinnin, Drew (2023-03-31). "Celebrating Ewan McGregor's All Too Brief Horror Legacy". Dread Central. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
10. ^ Cotter, Padraig (2022-08-07). "Ewan McGregor Horror Movies, Ranked". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
11. ^ a b c Robb, Brian J. (1999). Ewan McGregor : from junkie to Jedi. Internet Archive. London : Plexus. p. 124\. ISBN 978-0-85965-276-6.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
12. ^ a b c Pendreigh, Brian (1999). Ewan McGregor. Internet Archive. London : Orion. pp. 236, 239. ISBN 978-0-7528-2595-3.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
13. ^ "Short films for foodies". Flicks.co.nz. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
14. ^ Brütsch, Matthias; "The art of reduction: notes on the dramaturgy of the short fiction film" (p. 3-5)(https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/9900/12/Bruetsch2008V.pdf (University of Zurich)
15. ^ Film-Dienst (in German). Katholisches Institut für Medieninformationen, Katholische Filmkommission für Deutschland. 1999. p. 19.
16. ^ "Busan International Film Festival". Busan International Film Festival. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
17. ^ "The British Television Advertising Awards 1999: The Chairman’s Award - Sponsored by Channel 4/Jeff Stark". www.campaignlive.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-11-19.

## External links

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* Desserts at IMDb