To call Homesick bizarre would be a colossal understatement. And that’s meant in the most complimentary of fashions.
Born – and that’s quite the fitting term when the film’s narrative is uncovered – from director Will Seefried‘s fascination with society’s urgency in recreating their childhood, Homesick takes a unique look at how one could submit to the idea of altering their own outcome by going back to the moment of their creation; literally recreating the moment they were born.
The opening moments of Seefried’s short, absurdist film lay the foundation for the oddities that are to come. A man, Eduardo (Hiram Delgado), arrives in a hotel room. Seemingly nervous – you get the sense something peculiarly sinister is about to take place – he is eventually greeted by another gentleman who informs him to strip down and relay any emergency contact details. There’s a sense of dread about their interaction, but it’s unlikely anyone will be expecting what ultimately takes place.
Laced with an evident sadness and regret over life choices, Eduardo attends a specific type of retreat that allows its clients a “second chance” at a happy childhood; the experience of being birthed and of being nurtured by a loving mother and father (Leslie Fray and Motell Gyn Foster, credited simply as “Mom” and “Dad”). There’s something uncomfortably disturbing, yet incredibly poignant about such an experience, with the bizarreness of the set-up not lost on the broken Eduardo, but his need for love clearly only ever a transactional agreement between himself and the “Mom” and “Dad” performers, who seem to only be performing such affectionate acts for monetary benefit and not out of a need to help lost souls like Eduardo’s.
Truly an abnormal short, but one that widens up a broad spectrum of conversation and musings, Seefried has created a truly unique drama that finds the beauty and heartbreak in something so unnerving and singular.
THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Homesick is screening as part of this year’s SXSW Film Festival, which is being presented in-person and virtually between March 11th and 20th, 2022. For more information head to the official SXSW website.
