Trauma can’t be so easily washed away in Darius Shu’s short drama.
Ryan (Frank Kauer) is a young man with a stained shirt. Vinnie (Hiroki Berrecloth) runs a launderette. As meet-cutes go, this one in Molly, short film from director Darius Shu, is pretty straightforward (and maybe a touch customer-consumer-heavy but we can ignore that).
They bond, but it’s clear that Vinnie has some hang-ups about the relationship, pulling away to the point that Ryan even moves his attention elsewhere. Vinnie, however, has an issue. As he tells Ryan one night: “I can’t have sex”, a phrase he speaks bluntly, sure it will end the relationship there and then.
The film derives its name from the Amazon Molly, a subspecies of fish that doesn’t reproduce the traditional way. Vinnie keeps a molly or two in a converted washing machine, a reminder to himself.
Interestingly, for something with such a short runtime, the film throws a small narrative twist our way. Ryan, who is the point of view character for a good few minutes, takes a step back to give Vinnie the spotlight. And it’s from there that the film begins to take shape, diving deep into Vinnie’s insecurities and relationship troubles. Thanks to Shu’s script and the chemistry between its two leads we’re able to really feel what our main characters are and invest ourselves in this relationship. There are layers to Vinnie’s insecurities, down to his jealousy of a patron of his, that anyone can relate to.
Molly would benefit nicely from being expanded into a feature length. With Shu’s history as a cinematographer, the film’s always visually great, and we could do with staying in that world just a bit longer. As it is, it only scratches the surface of Vinnie and Ryan’s relationship, and more importantly how Vinnie navigates it going forward. With Ryan he has an understanding partner, someone with whom he can grow and develop; a fish he can swim in tandem with.
Molly (2026)
English
Director: Darius Shu
Writer: Darius Shu
CAST
Hiroki Berrecloth – Vinnie
Frank Kauer – Ryan
Aldous Ciokajlo Squire – Connor
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