It would be nearly impossible to not absolutely love Emily Alpren and Marchelle Bradanini's 10-minute short film Floored, one of over 200 shorts screening at this week's Academy Award-qualifying Indy Shorts Film Festival in Indianapolis. 

The film centers around BAFTA-winning actress Eleanor Williams (played to delicious perfection by Trilby Glover), who one day wakes up to realize she's now just another mover over 40. Determined to do something about it, she calls upon a Westside pelvic floor guru to help her get connected back to her worth. Gathered amidst a coven of lorazepammed women, Eleanor takes this excuse for a lovely cheese board and turns it into something decidedly more primal. 

Floored is an absolutely gorgeous short with a fantastic little ensemble. It's a sisterhood of sorts, a delightful complement to the film's celebration of maternal kinship and the struggle women experience in the modern world of parenting, feminism, and the fight to maintain oneself along the way. Shooting a three-day flick in less than two courtesy of an unexpected mishap, Floored thrives on the strength of Alpren's script and an ensemble that clearly understood the assignment. 

Floored carries with it a sort of retro vibe, a color palette that leans into the spot-on, slightly dark humor and music from Amy Ileen Wood, featuring none other than Fiona Apple, that couldn't be anymore inspired. 

To top it all off, the iconic Mara Wilson with a brief but perfect turn filled with acerbic wit and just the right amount of emotional resonance. 

Jocelyn DeBoer is here, as well, hitting all the right notes in a film where my only real complaint is that it ends after ten minutes. The cast also includes Sheila Carrasco and Ben Geurens. There's not a weak link here. 

Lensing by Rayana Rasamee is observational and yet immersive with a technicolor kaleidoscope of larger-than-life visuals. There's no doubt the audiences will laugh, feel, relate, and maybe even get a little giddy with this entertaining short comedy. 

There's much to love with Floored. If you get a chance, definitely check it out at Indy Shorts. 

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic