Nominated for the SXSW Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Short, Simon Bird's entertaining 10-minute short film Ernestine & Kit is screening in competition this week as part of Indy Film Fest's World Cinema block.

The British short centers around two ladies in their seventies, Ernestine (Pauline Collins) and Kit (Rosaleen Linehan),  driving through north County Sligo in a neat Japanese car. As they pass by village pubs and beaches, they imagine the terrible, immoral lives people are living today. Their one consolation is the innocence of children. Described by the filmmaker as "an absurd and macabre tale about how the petty-minded destroy themselves," Ernestine & Kit is unapologetically dark and incredibly funny as it portrays two elderly women who definitely don't always look on the bright side of life. Collins and Linehan are a hoot together, believably portraying friends who seem like they've been at this for an awfully long time.

Simon Bird, a staple of British television, clearly has a knack for directing comedy and nails both the pace and the tone of Ernestine & Kit to maximize the laughs. Ernestine & Kit feels like the kind of film that you'd find on BBC, certainly not life-changing cinema but a dark, entertaining way to spend a few minutes. Catch it if you get a chance.

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic