SMALL CHANGE | Omeleto Comedy

A thief steals a car. Danny is restlessly roaming about the streets, looking for a car to steal from, picking up anything from a random toy or spare change. When he comes across a car at a gas station that still has keys in it, he decides to go on a joy ride. But little does Danny realize that he's taken a car with a little girl, Ava, still in the backseat. To his surprise, Danny and the girl strike up a strange bond, one that connects him back to his lost childhood. Directed and written by Max Fisher, this short dramedy derives its entertaining appeal from juxtapositions, mostly from the situation of a criminal finding himself in an unexpectedly wholesome scenario -- one that brings out hints of his own inner child, to his own befuddlement and eventually delight. The film opens with some suspense as Danny walks down a street, testing out cars to see if they're unlocked. After stealing change and whimsically taking a stuffed monkey toy from one, he hits the jackpot at a gas station, finding a car with keys still in the ignition. He jumps in to steal it, and the film amps up with moment with revved-up music and some dynamic camerawork, as if gearing up for some action. But then the storytelling cheekily switches registers when Danny discovers a little girl in the backseat of the car, who innocently asks him what the meaning of a certain swear word is. It's a funny juxtaposition, one that unfurls into an equally funny conversation rendered in salty, crackling dialogue that is hilarious to hear coming out of a kid's mouth. Young performer Harriet Ryan is a charmer, managing to be equal parts sweet, innocent and feisty with her new "babysitter," and her dialogue with Danny, though brief, is funny and very memorable. What's unexpected is how Ava's presence brings out Danny's innocence, as well as a latent sense of almost parental responsibility, which pops out in his admonishments to stop swearing or eat a sandwich. Actor Theo Barklem-Biggs's performance touches on the minor criminal's heedless, reckless and irresponsible manner, but there are also moments when he slowly becomes aware of Ava as a child and feels responsible for her well-being and experience. So Danny decides to return Ava to her mother, chiding her for being distracted, leaving her daughter in the car and not giving her chips with her sandwich for lunch. We get the sense that Danny's own childhood may not have been ideal and perhaps he is talking to his own mother as well, and a brief hint at how caring for a child is, in some ways, healing the sadnesses and regrets about one's own childhood. In Danny's case, it's just a bit -- he's still up to no good -- but there's a hint that maybe things have shifted from his unexpected encounter, hopefully for the better. SMALL CHANGE. Courtesy of Max Fisher at https://maxfisherfilms.com.