Sundance Film Festival 2022 Screening – Jack (Nash Edgerton) and Sophie (Rose Byrne) were made for each other. As the new short SHARK begins the two lovebirds wake from slumber. Sophie offers to make Jack a smoothie and pretends to have a blender-related accident. Jack falls for it and after realizing it was a joke he pretends to have a heart attack before asking Sophie to marry him. In writer-director Edgerton‘s everything is a joke to these two until it isn’t.

The Wedding day isn’t without its share of hijinks either and the pair decide to hit the tropics for their honeymoon. During their trip a snorkeling trip is booked far from shore. Captain Rick (Kieran Darcy-Smith) dutifully covers maritime safety and the boatload of nature lovers heads out. Sorting through the gear, Jack discovers, of all things, a false shark fin and gets an idea. Let’s stop there. Is this a thing? Yes, apparently it is but Captain Rick should receive a stern talking to for having this novelty item aboard after hammering safety rules into his passengers. If you are still with the short after this point then you are in for a treat.

Edgerton‘s short is well done no doubt. Aaron McLisky‘s cinematography is some nice work with props for going ahead and shooting on and in water. David Whittaker‘s editing is solid here too building to the peak of the story in a measured way.  I would even say that I fell for Byrne‘s Sophie through her roll-with-the-punches attitude toward Jack’s relentless pranking. But it seems that what Edgerton is going for here is that if everything is a joke you have no footing.

SHARK is a short comedy with enough bite to compensate for the bits of chum we expect to see in the story.

6 Out of 10