''Melancholy Baby'' is a
drama
Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
/
thriller short film
A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...
, written and directed by
Sean Hood, and starring
Patrick Labyorteaux
Patrick Francis Labyorteaux (born July 22, 1965) is an American actor. In many of his earlier credits, his last name is spelled as "Laborteaux". He is best known for his roles of Andrew "Andy" Garvey on the NBC series ''Little House on the Pra ...
, who plays a man suffering from both
agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by symptoms of anxiety in situations where the person perceives their environment to be unsafe with no way to escape. These situations can include public transit, shopping centers, crowds and q ...
and
obsessive-compulsive disorder. The film is notable for its creative use of sound design.
Although its official premiere was at the
Garden State Film Festival
The Garden State Film Festival is a film festival in the United States held in Asbury Park, New Jersey, Asbury Park and Cranford, New Jersey, Cranford, New Jersey, which debuts more than 200 independent films annually over four days each spring.
...
in 2009, the film screened at the Directors Guild of America as part of a gala fund raiser for
Filmmakers Alliance.
Plot
Zachariah Block is a shut-in who spends much of his day compulsively sorting and resorting ordinary objects into jars. His routine changes when a woman moves into the apartment next door. By listening to her movements through the walls and watching her through a vent, he becomes drawn into her life. When he senses that she is in danger, this very eccentric and alienated character overcomes his debilitating fears, summons up a small act of genuine courage, and saves his neighbors life.
Production
The screenplay for Melancholy Baby was developed in a workshop sponsored by
Filmmakers Alliance. The script went on to win The Los Angeles Short Filmmaking Grant. Using a crew made up primarily of Filmmakers Alliance members, the film was shot over the course of a single weekend. It was shot on the Red One, a camera made by the
Red Digital Cinema Camera Company
Red Digital Cinema, LLC is an American camera manufacturer specializing in digital cinematography headquartered in Foothill Ranch, California, United States. It has been owned by Nikon since April 2024.
The company has studios in Hollywood, Los ...
.
Awards
*Los Angeles Short Filmmaking Grant 2007
*Accolade Competition
**Award of Excellence, Short Film 2009
[Accolade Awards of Excellence/Film (2009]
The Accolade
Retrieved May 13, 2009
*USA Film Festival/Short Film & Video Competition
**Finalist
See also
*
List of American films of 2009
This is a list of films produced in the United States that were released in 2009 in film, 2009.
Box office
The highest-grossing American films released in 2009, by domestic box office gross revenue, are as follows:
January–March
Ap ...
References
External links
*{{IMDb title, id=1282067, title=Melancholy Baby
American thriller films
2009 films
2009 thriller films
2009 short films
Films about obsessive–compulsive disorder
2000s English-language films
Films with screenplays by Sean Hood
Films directed by Sean Hood
2000s American films
English-language short films
English-language thriller films