sual way of storytelling as the pair dance through each scene and we dip into each facet of Daniels

fantasizing mind. We are transported into a sweet-but-not-too-sickly world of syrupy first dates, excessive giggling and not-so-awkward first times. It must be mentioned however that Baby Likes to Dance in the Dark is not just your bog-standard paradigm of the romantic genre, and the audience should not confuse the cheery odyssey for anything of a rom-com. The use of added in tones and colour contribute to a hazy ambience of young adult lust, making it more an attractive piece of craftsmanship told through the medium of storytelling than merely a short film. Likewise, the conscpicuous lack of any dialogue helps convey a world thats more the product of someones sweet and wandering mind, than reality. Bowden, Jankowska and Quarton-Parsons film is an alluring concoction of the familiarly enticing, the sappy hearts and flowers and the palpable, questionable undertones of something sadder. An interesting must-see; the dreams within a young mans mind, played out visually and vibrantly and more than quenching our thirst for something deliciously different. MORGAN BOWDEN

Directed by Morgan Bowden, Olivia Jankowska and Lily Quarton-Parsons Starring Dan Keene, Caitlin Faulks Released 28th JANUARY

um-coated steets, somber nights and the classic post-party stagger through a dilapitaded town bring us to a tragically all-too-familiar first scene of young directors Morgan Bowden, Olivia Jankowska and Lily Quarton-Parsons first short film Baby Likes to Dance in the Dark, in which we first meet the nineteen year old clich life is so boring; Daniel (Dan Keene). Clad in leather; eighties bad boy style, Daniel is instantaneously charming, somewhat forgetting that he is, after all, stumbling in a less than dignified fashion through a less than lavish street. Its nothing out of the ordinary. If anything, hes the archetype of boyhood on the brink of manhood; but the sweet familiarity of yobbish youth is susprisingly intriguing. A haphazard stroll results in the fortuitous discovery of neon pink and violet lights; an exotic land that comes in the form of a gentlemans club,

synth-pop and a Britney Spears soundtrack. Guided into this labyrinth by standard yet fitting cinematography, our eyes, like Daniels, are drawn straight to a podium enveloped in a shroud of dreamy hues and smoke. Amidst this is the entrancingly dancing silhouette of who we learn to be Candy (Caitlin Faulks) a.k.a woman of Daniels dreams...quite literally. Baby Likes to Dance in the Dark depicts infatuation at its most raw and sincere. Holding similarities to American Beauty (Sam Mendes, 1999), Daniel singles out the undeniably gorgeous face of the exotic dancer, true Lester Burnham style. From here on the film takes a new direction into the forbidden love genre. One shot of Daniels enthralled face and whimsical eyes and we are transported into a journey through his mind in which lie dreams of intense romance. The adventure unravels in a freshingly unu-

Clad in leather; eighties bad boy style, Daniel is instantaneously charming, somewhat forgetting that he is, after all, stumbling in a less than dignified fashion through a less than lavish street.

ANTICIPATION - The romance genre portrayed through a pleasantly unexpected medium. ENJOYMENT - A stylish and unique take on romance with convincing actors. IN RETROSPECT - Not for everybody but a noble piece of arthouse cinema.

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024 The Don Jon Issue

025 The Don Jon Issue