Short Film Series: Clapping for the Wrong Reasons.

Overview:

Donald Glover plays the boy. This short film follows a day in the life of of the boy as he works on music, hangs out with friends, and is being followed by a mystifying girl.

Initial Thoughts:

This short film has a very intimate feel to it. Not only do we see elements of the boy from Gambino’s Because the Internet screenplay but we seemly get a look into what feels like a normal day of Gambino at the time as he can be seen hanging with Chance the Rapper, Flying Lotus, and Danielle Fishel. This short film came out in 2013 and feels like a time capsule into that era of Gambino’s career. Gambino’s character is kind of a mix of the boy and Glover himself. In the Because the Internet screenplay the main character is depressed, rich, and struggling to find himself in life. Glover himself has a somewhat depressing demeanor and only seems to be happy when he’s reminiscing about his childhood. This short film also has a motif of redundancy. We see elements of that by Glover going into his freezer and only having Perrier Mineral Water, a pile of worn shoes in a corner from the boy having a habit of taking off his sneakers as he enters a room, and the ending seemingly mirroring the opening shot. The ending of this short film feels kind of hopeless and Glover’s approach to the ending and its subjective theme feels very natural. If you’re a fan of Gambino or Glover this short film is worth a watch. If you want to get lost in a short film for about 30 mins then I would recommend this to you.

Rate:

B-