Moneybag Head
Patrick O'Brien
United States, 2020, 15 min.
In English.
Includes violence and adult language.
AIFF Award Winner:
Best Comedy Short
Dennis, a lonely sad sack with an unfortunate cranial deformity, finds himself romantically entangled with Catherine, a charming political cartoonist. After the two share an intensely intimate night together, Dennis is happier than he's ever been -- until he sees Catherine's latest cartoon.
Director's Statement
I've always been attracted to the visual aesthetic of early political cartoons, particularly Thomas Nast's "Boss Tweed" (the iconic fat cat with a moneybag for a head). As a lover of The Elephant Man, and sucker for comedy infused with tragedy, I wondered what it would be like if someone actually had a symbolically-loaded head like that... What would his x-ray look like? Would he ever know intimacy? What if he were poor?! I wanted to lure viewers in with an absurd premise and leave them surprised at how it recedes into the background as a real human story emerges.
Category: Comedy, Award Winner, Best of Fest.
Themes: Identity, Relationships.

More in Comedy
-
The Bank Robbery
John Marrs
United States, 2021, 12 min.A group of incompetent old west outlaws try to rob a bank with hilarious results... more ›
-
Half
Jacob Roberts
United States, 2022, 11 min.Half-Jewish, bisexual Jonah Dorman comes out to his girlfriend, shaking the foundation of their relationship and launching a tragicomic exploration of love and... more ›
-
Gut Feelings
Vanessa Valliere
United States, 2021, 11 min.Gut Feelings is the story of two misfits who meet in the belly of a beast... more ›