In writer/director Julius Yo's 3-minute short film Conquering the Tiger, Yo himself plays a guru helping three particularly libidinous individuals learn how to control their desires with the help of a special root. 

The three individuals, known only as gay guy (Thomas Cole), straight guy (Jeorge Bennett Watson), and cool girl (Lena Grotticelli) are exactly what you'd expect and they play it to the hilt in a film that is quick, breezy, funny and on point all within its slight 3-minute running time. Working within such a short time frame, there's not much to do but go for caricatures but Conquering the Tiger keeps a good energy flowing and the cast is clearly having a good time with Watson, Cole, and Grotticelli all turning in light, entertaining performances while Yo, as the guru, has all the suave swagger that you might expect. 

Lensing by Shoshanna Withers is solid throughout, while Withers also edits the film to capture all the comic potential you can find from each performance. 

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic