According to the press release, Fck'n Nuts is Sam Fox's attempt at sharing her experience as a teenager living with her parents. The experience doesn't seem very pleasant. What it reveals is that the parents exerted great control over their daughter. The parental powers are suffocating, and in the movie, it's realized through the visual of a house that exists in darkness and isolation. We hear a man's voice at one point but don't see his face, which means he can easily be excluded. The parents in Fck'n Nuts (Michele Rossi as Mom and William E. Harris as Dad) have an enormous influence on their daughter Sandy (Maddie Nichols). Sandy has a boyfriend, Dan (Vincent Stalba), and he urges her to allow him to meet her parents after suddenly arriving at her house near the beginning of the film.
Why is Sandy so reluctant about introducing her boyfriend to her parents? Is there something seriously wrong with them? We see the names of three boys crossed out in a mirror, and the mother's point of view shot looks unhinged. The creepy voices further elevate the supernatural setting. Fox fills the frames with colorful lights that appear strange as well as stylish. The colors, too, seem oppressive as if they are an extension of the dominance exercised by Sandy's mom and dad. Fox's humor is cartoonish (look out for a squirrel with red eyes). She revels in overexaggerating things. Too much indulgence can be off-putting, but short films have an ephemeral lifespan. You have minimal time to leave an impression on the viewer's mind, and Fox uses every second to deliver amusements to the audience. She doesn't want you to immediately forget about her film.
I chuckled when the significance of the title was revealed. It's a moment that competently strikes a balance between psychological horror and absurdist comedy. However, I cannot stop thinking about that scene where Dan casually wipes puke with his bare hands before sitting alongside Sandy. Fck'n Nuts shows that Fox is an exciting director with a strong sense of humor who knows how to sync her style with her substance.
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Published at Midgard Times