You might get the sense of Robert Rodriguez, if his college short film is the first time you're being exposed to his work, that he could be a near protégé of Sam Raimi. But if you've seen Bedhead after already seeing the bulk of his work (The Misbehavers, Mariachi films, at least one Spy Kids, From Dusk Till Dawn, even Sin City), you can tell a style already in camera and sense of humor being defined. The edge and crazy verve of comic-books get worked into almost all of Bedhead, a movie about kids that would have appeal for anyone who can find a smile for the endlessly tongue-in-cheek. Like the other short, Misbehavers, Rodriguez is totally in tune with the vendettas and plots waged between siblings, only here it's done in a fashion that's faster, more wicked, and with almost a morale that could land it on Nickelodeon.
There's also the outrageous to it, of course, but cranked to the demented once or twice, which lends it a more unique quality than other kid's short films. It's like something a kid might think up when bored in a class. That it's done with seemingly so little is also remarkable. I liked also how it was kept at a kind of innocent level, too, of kids being only so rotten towards each other, as kids can get. It's even sweet in it's crazy way, as Rodriguez's camera keeps getting strange angles and even stranger, more contorted angles and zooms and pans and even animation in the mix. The kids- Rodriguez's own family- are pretty good at being these exaggerated characters because there's a grounding to it that can be seen at the start and finish of the film. It's brief, to the point, and packs a neat little punch; one of the better student shorts I've maybe ever seen.
There's also the outrageous to it, of course, but cranked to the demented once or twice, which lends it a more unique quality than other kid's short films. It's like something a kid might think up when bored in a class. That it's done with seemingly so little is also remarkable. I liked also how it was kept at a kind of innocent level, too, of kids being only so rotten towards each other, as kids can get. It's even sweet in it's crazy way, as Rodriguez's camera keeps getting strange angles and even stranger, more contorted angles and zooms and pans and even animation in the mix. The kids- Rodriguez's own family- are pretty good at being these exaggerated characters because there's a grounding to it that can be seen at the start and finish of the film. It's brief, to the point, and packs a neat little punch; one of the better student shorts I've maybe ever seen.
