Sweet and Short: "Dear Dorothy" (Dir. Matthew McPherson)
In a haunting, resilient and sharp war short based on a true story, 'Dear Dorothy' gets behind allied lines, and writes the glory from the dirt.
Sweet and Short
Here at OBSCURAE, we've always championed short storytelling as the hunting ground for your next favourite filmmaker – and encouraged you not to skip the shorts programme!
Now, we take that one step further, partnering with London Film Club to bring you cutting edge short films from prolific, talented and motivated filmmakers, and platforming the names you'll be seeing in the credits for years to come. This is "Sweet and Short"!
"Dear Dorothy"
Dir. Matthew McPherson, War Epic, 14mins
Some absolutely stunning performances from all involved guild this mini war epic, based on a true story set in 1915, where our titular and incredibly brave heroine uses sexism against itself and gets very Mulan with it as she hides in the military in plain sight.
An astute writer, Dorothy and her actress are only the beginning of the bright genius of this short, which brandishes some sparkling dialogue delivered by the nurse charged with looking after our Dorothy (played with absolute confidence and ability by Kyra Haslam).
A short such as this is a feat of filmmaking on it's own, before we discuss the quality – but to have made something that could quite easily be an extended clip from a multi-million dollar war film is truly remarkable. The story is a touching one – a little incomplete on its own, helped along by some titles at the end – and a vital one to bring to audiences. I really do hope a feature is in the works.
Matthew McPherson and Glenn Greenhill, you are true talents, and thanks to London Film Club for introducing us to their work!
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