THE FOOL'S MATE | Omeleto
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- Опубликовано: 9 фев 2025
- A man tries to break up.
THE FOOL'S MATE is used with permission from Cian Llewellyn. Learn more at cianllewellyn.....
Fred and Holly have met up at the Nag's Head, an eccentric pub in London. They're casually dating and at a crossroads in their relationship, but hopefully for Fred, that's about to change -- he's there to break up with Holly, having met another woman he has fallen in love with. Holly, however, thinks Fred is about to propose, and she does anything to keep the conversation from getting serious, since she wants to keep things casual.
But when the pub's rules for required chess playing are enforced, Fred and Holly must play an impromptu chess match. And as the battle on the board matches the psychological battle between Fred and Holly, the ensuing match of wits may force the truth to come out.
Directed and written by Cian Llewellyn, this witty British short is a wry and offbeat entry in the romance category, detailing an encounter between two lovers with very different agendas and unable to talk about it openly. It deftly sets the board with each character's motivations and fears, pulls in slightly absurd complications and then neatly lets the gambit play out to much amusement.
Part of the film's fun is its authentic evocation of pub culture in England, where pubs play a beloved role in the social fabric of a neighborhood or community and take on a uniquely weathered patina and atmosphere over time. Likewise, the film has a warm, lived-in look and feel, evoking a strong sense of place. The story's particular pub -- the real-life historic Nags Head in London -- is more offbeat than most, and the film leverages the quirky setting to parlay what would be a fairly straightforward relationship two-hander into something zanier, funnier and more sideways than one would think.
Once Fred and Holly's secretly dueling agendas are set up, the pacing speeds along, buoyed by dense and witty dialogue, abetted by a cheekily dramatic music score and hitting a brusque stride as the characters work through a series of moves and countermoves. All of the storytelling's twists and turns are ably carried by the performances of actors Chris Lew Kum Hoi and Nell Barlow as the couple in question, who convey the awkward anxiety of the situation, trying to get to the truth of the situation -- or avoid it altogether.
A few wrinkles and complications make things increasingly sticky -- all of which are observed by a server who sees all, says little and implies plenty. As things build to a head, the result is more comedy of errors than romantic comedy. Ironic, cheeky and fast-paced, THE FOOL'S MATE may take its title from a play in chess, where the fewest moves to checkmake is possible only if the opening moves are absolutely terrible. But with the few final twists at the film's end, it proves that both players in this match of wits are particularly hapless -- both in chess and in love.
The bartender had the best role 😂 and lived for it.
He's probably seen all-sorts of drama in that pub ,and he just lives for it 🤷♀️.
lol ikr
Definitely!
They’ve both been “played”.
Exactly so when the Barkeeper asks in the end who won, the answer is that no one did
@@grln930except Jenny
Jenny has played them both like a fiddle .
Love the bartender!!! Reminds of my days being one and time to time getting mixed up in somebody else's drama. He is brilliant!
waiter!!
One of the best shorts I've seen in a while. The waiter was brilliant. The sort of guy you want around when s@!t hits the fan.
The way he just accepts the guy's phone 📱 on the tray ... like he knows what happens ,and like he's taking his phone away .
Yeah, when the salt hits the fan... you gotta keep your eyes closed.
“Isn’t that just a garden?” Hilarious. And so is the waiter.
This film is a success because it is not pretentious. It captivates its audience by being simple and genuine. When you have a good script, good cinematography, good editing, good directing and convincing acting, you don’t need to appear sophisticated. Good job!
this is simply incredible! This is for sure going to blow up, I absolutely adore how they're both cheating on each other with the same person, and how it's implied at the end that now that person has simply left both of them. They both don't know what to feel about the other, whether to hate them or not, because they were also cheating too. In the end though, these two still probably end up breaking up, because one can't trust the other anymore.
But it was confusing cuz the woman was expecting him to propose and she seemed excited... so was the monologue from both characters ambiguous?
You know some people like to read the comments first to see if it’s good, right…?
@@missarilou bruh if u don’t wanna get spoiled don’t got to the comments lol
I agree, actually. She did seem oddly excited in the beginning, and that's sort of unexplainable considering the context. Maybe she was excited to reject him and finally have a reason to get out of the relationship? @@tauhid9983
@@tauhid9983 maybe it wasn't excitement, rather, a nervousness
Thank you everyone for the lovely comments! I hope that you continue to enjoy the film (Jack - producer of The Fool's Mate)
The worst part about shorts is when they end. I have so many unanswered questions. Do they go on a journey together to find Jenny and end up falling in love? And then he actually does end up proposing? Then Jenny ends up coming to the wedding. That was her plan all along. She wanted to create a strengthened bond between two people.
I really REALLY enjoyed this! Bravo!
This was great! Thank you
This guy tweeted about how he took his gf to a restaurant to break up and she cried and so everyone thought he proposed so they started clapping and cheering 😅
Great work!!! Congrats!!!
Brilliant! Especially the waiter/bar tender whose timing was spot on.
I've seen a million films, long and short, since 1948. At one time I thought, 'they don't make 'em like that anymore'. This gem makes me feel...I'm glad they don't! A simple premise, filmed perfectly with 3 engaging actors, in 11 minutes...congrats to the whole production team. This is one that I have Bookmarked, which I don't do often.
Gosh I so love the short film!! Just 3 people and such an amazing experience!! The bartender and the couple are just phenomenal !
'Gosh'.? Jeepers!
SO well done! I loved the waiter. The timing and dialogue were perfect.
The clever cuts with the huge essay spoiler. Only the end question was ironic.
I'm American and had been to London in '70. Walked into a pub with a friend from Nottingham and froze. Very surreal. Surely.
The waiter was hilarious! I loved it!! Well done!
This was BRILLIANT right when I needed it 😂 how epic was the waiter 😂
The waiter deserves an Oscar, his reaction when she admitted to it was THE BEST!
Love the last line “ So. Who won?” 😉
This was an absolute delight! The fact that they (spoiler alert) were seeing the same person was brilliant until she obviously stood them both up!
Hilarious and well cast and strangely believable - the bartender (Syrus Lowe) as 'background' character managing to be the star.
Love the face of the woman during the chess game and after.
OmG the bartender could not have been a better actor!! Kudos to all 3!
Absolutely loved, loved, loved this story, the two actors were just the right amount of funny and desperately paddling to stay afloat. Also, keeping the story short kept the tension enjoyable for myself, at least too long, and the situation becomes frustrating.... The was perfect in every way. It's one of my favourites! ❤
That was BLOODY brilliant!!! TY for posting and sharing!
The background music and the waiter really help make this something to re-watch over and over again!
What a predicament.
This short is really going to do well, and I think it'll have a long shelf life too. Great job--cheers!
Truly a masterpiece :) Fantastic work to everyone involved, please do more!! Mitch from Australia.
Brilliant! Thanks for this one. Best kind of bartender... ready to catch the fall out and avert a scrap 😅
Loved the bartender's engagement in the story.
delightful indeed, we've all been caught in those 'cross' communication moments ... and the same girl was a genius touch, kudos!
The build up from something simple to this elaborate was kinda brilliant... didn't even see it coming from miles away
OMG, THAT WAS SO DAMN GOOD!!! I didn't see that one coming!!!
Unbelievably good script and direction, supported by a fine cast, crisp cinematography and Wagnerian-worthy music
score! Bravo!!
Wonderful twist. Well played. Short enough to hold attention well. The waiter's role was so well thought out.
Now that's an amazing twist, didn't see that coming, bravo 10/10
Very well done! Love the bartender/waiter. The look on his face. Perfection.
I love this so so so much! All the actors were *perfect* in their roles it was so well written, edited and directed. Amazing job all round!
Great short film! Funny, relatable characters, excellent pacing, strong dialogue! Well done writers and creator!
Jenny made off like a tree and “leafed” 🤣🤣🤣
Oh Jenny, you sneaky beaver
Incredible storyline, the twist!! Bravo Bravo!!
Wow! They should stick together and view it as a lesson, much like the 1995 film "French Twist."
Wonderful short film! The timing was perfect, I had a great laugh and was engaged throughout the whole film
Lovely, well produced by all involved!
Exactly this happened to me (years ago).
Had to laugh.
this is my favorite Omeleto
Haha that waiter will have an interesting story to tell his friends 😂😂
Brilliant. Comedy at its best. Love these short movies.
lovely short film! well made, entertaining, well wrap-up, we didn't know this was coming. Good to have something cheeky, funny rather than tragic and dark all the time!
Great pace. Well done. Thank you.
Watching that bartender was the first time in a long while I missed that job. Very enjoyable movie.
Brilliant work Cian and everyone involved. Best short for a long, long time!
this is the opposite of champagne problems
The bartender is hilarious 😂
3 way chess, check your mate
This was by far one of the best short films ive seen on this channel😭🙏
0:58 most unrealistic part of show, true addicts will spend 5 minutes on one lighter
Didn't see that coming. Excellent short.
I have a friend who’s a surgeon and bought his townhouse because it was near an Irish pub.
I said to him that’s convenient and he said yeah they give me good advise!
I said who?
He said the bartenders.
Fantastic short, really well Directed. Big things coming for people able to pull off such a well made, well written little narrative like this.
The acting is stellar in this one!
Perfect! Great mix of comedy, drama, and intrigue. Very well done.
Top quality..... great writing and acting by all three....
"Who won?" The owner of the bar who made a fortune of the misfortune of the main characters 😆
Clever script with good performances, especially the barkeep.
That was so much more fun than I expected. Well done!
Bravo... bravo, on to my saved list you go!
That's how you pull off a plot twist without cheating the audience.
The pacing is just brilliant
lol love it! so well done. love waiter/barkeep.
The bartender was priceless !!!!
Been seeing this channel for a while since the lockdown but this is the first time I actually watched a video. This was amazing! Should have started watching a long time ago!
Absolutely FABULOUS! That Plot twist ending tho😂😂😂
The waiter was great in this one. I laughed my, well, bottom off.
Looks like Jenny was the big winner 😂 excellent short film. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
the most tense 11min ever.. Brilliant!!
That was a very accurate bartender portrayal. Especially the shot scene (something I've actually done) hahahah
This was great! I loved it. All of the actors were really great, but Syrus Lowe just killed it!
Loved this one!
The actress is a hybrid of Emma Thompson and Keira Knightley.
Check and mate
The chess position does jump forward and backward, but otherwise, it is a real, possible game, being a 10-move checkmate in the English Opening, with a queen sacrifice and everything. Also, the short film was great, when they confessed after the checkmate.
Played on so many lvls 😂😂😂
Greatest short in a minute!!!❤
The bartended was giving my life!!!
the guy is so miscast it's comical.
I wasn’t really feeling it till it got to the big reveal. Brilliant i really liked it
Haha brilliant! The waiter deserves an Oscar 😂
I watched this short film during the Birmingham Film Festival and this was by far my favourite! Was a bit sad I couldn't show it to anyone so I'm super glad it's available online now :)
This final was unexpected 😂😱
Excellent movie
This is Gold, never saw it coming👍👍👍😂
Thanks so much Omeleto for sharing this! I had a great time writing the music
I love this one! Lol!
now, that is a good bartender
Love all the unexpected turns!
This was brilliant!! 🤣🤣🤣
Brilliantly done! Loved the music, too.
8:32
"Holly... the time has come"
FOR YOU TO LIPSYNC... FOR YOUR LIFE!
5:30 It seems black took white's king on E1. Why are they still playing? :)
Edit: Also pieces on A1, C6, E1, F3, H8 aren't even chess pieces I think. And I can see now that this inaccuracy is intentional as part of the absurdity of the situation.
Damn this was simply brilliant. Their personalities are so well acted and egnaging.
Brilliant short!