A dysfunctional family functions on powerful melodrama, significant indifference, and fulfilling drug-addled stupefied frantic fantasies when wayfaring

The Mobius Trip is an award-winning short film from the UK about a dysfunctional family of four who goes on a road trip to a wedding. Along the way, they consume drugs and alcohol. Will they make it to the nuptial ceremony in time or at all?

Written, directed, and edited by Simone Smith, it’s filmed mostly inside a car. She uses Dutch angles, close-ups, camera panning, rotations, and tilts for a compelling disorienting effect. Full of surreal imagery, the film quickly dives deep into the minds of the family members as they wander into their hallucinations. Granted, most of the time it’s hard to tell what’s happening and why. This is due to both the visuals and the sound editing. At times the audio cuts in and out so rapidly that it’s hard to distinguish who’s speaking. Other times things are heard in reverse, presumably on purpose, but it’s never explained why that’s there.

The entire cast does well at conveying their roles and has wonderful chemistry fulfilling the dynamics of the dysfunctional family. As a kid, we took plenty of family road trips to Florida so I found the premise completely relatable. Tempers flare when buttons get pushed, true colours show when emotion takes over. They all have their time to shine and don’t disappoint.

Overall, The Mobius Trip has an experimental art house aesthetic left open to interpretation. A great cast can’t always save an unclear script. It’s an intriguing short film but the conclusion is so open-ended it’s hard to deduce anything from it. It’s not for everyone. Not because of the disturbing imagery, but rather because it’s the way it’s written, filmed, edited, and how the sound design is devised. Many visuals have flashing lights so I would avoid it if your epileptic but I would recommend it otherwise. You may gain something from it I didn’t. That’s the beauty of art, it’s open to interpretation. And remember, the road less traveled sometimes leads to what makes all the difference.