-Written by Kyle Bain.
When a young man, Kyle (Bj Gruber), attempts to pick up a girl at the laundromat, he becomes trapped inside of his jacket. As the patrons of the laundromat watch him struggle, the lessons he learns along the way will shape him. Static Cling is a silly, but effective look into the human psyche and the decisions that we make in our everyday lives.
The acting present in Static Cling is overly expressive–far more elaborate and over the top than it needs to be. That serves a purpose, however–as every second of this film is steeped in meaning. It feels that the overacting is used to shed light on the deeper meaning of and the purpose behind the whole of Static Cling. This is effective, as every single personality is exaggerated, every single person plays a specific role–and it seems that Writer-Director Steve Lifshey had a clear idea of how he wanted to approach this film–effective in his journey and his delivery.
Furthermore, Static Cling as a whole feels very hyperreal, like a fever dream in which the actual events of the film aren’t of importance–but rather that we are meant to feel something of a separation from the individual characters and the literal storyline in order to focus on the film’s message. Static Cling begs us to be better people, to be more accepting of the people around us, to make better decisions–and the exaggerated nature of this film is what, again, allows us to understand this.
So, what’s wrong with the film? Interestingly enough, everything I just mentioned has the potential to harm this film. While every bit of Static Cling serves a purpose, while even the silly bits have a deeper meaning, it may be possible that some viewers struggle to look past this, struggle to understand the film’s purpose. Lifshey’s decisions both elevate and hinder the film, and it really depends on the viewer. The viewer will have to make the decision of whether or not to accept the contents of the film as satirical, to look beneath the surface. I truly believe that this will be challenging for some, and it seems likely that Static Cling will suffer as a result of some unwilling participants. And, though that can be chalked up to lazy or incapable viewers, that still falls on the shoulders of Lifshey.
Like many satires, Static Cling runs the risk of ostracizing viewers based on the silliness that exists throughout its entirety. I think that risk is necessary, however, and I don’t know if there’s a way to create a film of this nature and not antagonize viewers a bit. It could have been structured differently, and Lifshey could have taken an entirely different approach–but I feel that he makes the right decision here. He develops fun and funny juxtapositional tones that play out throughout Static Cling, and that comes as a result of his unique and [possibly] necessary approach.
Written & Directed by Steve Lifshey.
Starring Bj. Gruber, Jackie McCarthy, Timothy J. Cox, Mel House, Eva Visco, etc.
7/10 = WATCH IT FOR FREE
