Writer/director Klifford Barkus (Last Resort) is back with his latest short film, the 8-minute The Survivor's Guide of a Newspaper Carrier, as it gets ready for a festival run and sends the filmmaker in a different direction from his far more intense and dramatic last motion picture. The Survivor's Guide of a Newspaper Carrier is anything but intense, a light-hearted and comical look at a newspaper trying to deliver his already late route without finding himself in too much trouble or too much harm. 

The Survivor's Guide of a Newspaper Carrier is a breezy, pleasant effort that is a vast improvement in terms of production values with pristine, sparkling lensing and an accompanying original score that gives the entire scenario quite a bit of bounce. 

The film also benefits greatly from Barkus's own personality, a slightly edgy persona with a guy next door comfort and the kind of guy you can easily picture doing exactly the kinds of things that unfold in this amusing little short. As one might expect, Barkus's news carrier encounters a variety of personalities along the way and it seems ever increasingly likely the tardy newspaper carrier is going to find himself in more than a spot of trouble. 

The Philly born/Jersey raised filmmaker seems to have discovered his creative life in his current residence of Wisconsin, combining his natural gift for filmmaking with an open mind and heart and a willingness to put his own life experiences, at least loosely, in front of the camera. 

The Survivor's Guide of a Newspaper Carrier should easily find a place on the indie fest circuit, especially amongst the ultra-indie and low-budget fests where the film's natural humor and Barkus's magnetic personality will most assuredly be popular. For more information on the film, visit Barkus's Instagram page linked to in the credits. Watch for the film at a festival near you!

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic