Wakey Wakey

Do you ever have those dreams in which you believe you've woken up and you go through a prolonged series of actions before things eventually become surreal enough for you to realise what's happening - only for you to try and wake up out of the dream and go through the whole process again? Some relationships are like that.

Alex (Rachel Sennott) and Elliot (Tim Platt) are supposed to be going on holiday. Perhaps it's anxiety about the packing and getting everything done in time that's interfering with her sleep. What's clear is that she doesn't feel she can rely on him, and as the story develops, through wave after wave of dream, we get the feeling that their relationship might be considerably more troubled than that. When will she wake up to what's wrong? And what does her altered perspective mean for him?

Drenched in the kind of surreal comic imagery that finds its natural home in dreams, Mary Dauterman's gutsy little short packs a lot of story into just four minutes. The objects and situations we see inform us about Alex's experiences and expectations. Her certainty that she's about to go on a journey complicates the fact that she's undertaking a different sort of journey as we watch. Much of the holiday imagery is positive, playful, but watching the waves splash by is just one step away from sinking under them.

With successful screenings at Fantasia and Fantastic Fest under its belt, Wakey Wakey is doing very well for a first filmmaking venture, and Dauterman's inventiveness seems likely to keep her in the spotlight.