UK / 13 minutes / color, opening sequence in bw / Major Zeus, Zoetic Films Dir & Scr: Dan Allen Pr: Dan Allen, Charlotte Rose Palmer, Jamie Weston Cine: Tom Allen Cast: Jon Campling, Andrew Coppin, Libby Braidwood, Louise Ann Munro, Nik Kempsey
Two hitmen, who go under the noms de guerre Frankie (Campling) and Jacob (Coppin), have been contracted to kill Mr. Peterson (Kempsey) and Mrs. Peterson (Munro).
Jacob, the younger of the two killers, does the deed, but spares the Petersons’ cute little daughter Abigail (Braidwood), bringing her with him from the death scene.
Frankie’s appalled: their contract was for no survivors. But Jacob prevails, persuading the older man that, even if they do eventually off Abigail, they can at least give her some fun and treat her to a milk shake first.
Neither of them could have foreseen the consequences . . .
Jon Campling as Frankie
Although I have doubts about the coherence of the storytelling—the meaning of the movie’s final moments may have been crystal clear to the makers but I’m still not fully convinced I get the point aright—Glove Compartment is quite beautifully made and performed. (You always expect the moppet to be the weak link in indie shorts like this, but young Libby Braidwood shows herself to be more than up to the demands of the role.)
Andrew Coppin as Jacob
And the dialogue’s nicely honed, too. Here’s an exchange shortly after Jacob has been chafing about the convention of working under false names:
Frankie: “Don’t say ‘murder.’ That’s not what we are.”
Jacob: “We might not be. But Jacob and Frankie are.”
Libby Braidwood as Abigail
Director Dan Allen has put a copy of the movie up on YouTube here.
Noirish 