Baggage
“Baggage” is directed by Andrea Behring and is a comedic tale of a small town girl played by Alexandra Ficken, who has recently moved to the big apple, New York City. She’s never been live in a city before and is full of anticipation and excitement for what her new adventure holds for her. That is, until being tasked by her parents to house-sit and to deliver a piece of luggage that introduces her to both the best and worst parts of the city. Life is rough living in the city, and through a misfortunate encounter with the lowlifes of NY, she’s about to get a crash course in a witty and fun short film that I had fun watching.
The first thing that impressed me so much with this short is the technical ability that director Andrea Behring showcases. The shots are perfectly framed and are so visually engaging. The Camerawork is precise and detail-oriented. Not one thing was out of place when it came to how some of the shots looked, which deserves a lot of praise. The cinematography is great, with shots of the city looking stunning, as well even in the dialogue-driven scenes the color design, the lighting, it all just works.
The main character played by Ficken is very relatable. Her pure optimism and hope for what moving to NY can do for her is portrayed very well and I had fun watching her performance. There is a fun montage while Ficken is house-sitting that reminded me a lot of “Risky Business”, and Ficken is definitely paying homage to Tom Cruise and does a great job at that. Once she’s set on her mission to return the luggage to the homeowners, we get introduced to actor Aaron Stand, who plays a young heartthrob that is smitten by Fricken while taking the subway. I really enjoyed their back and forth chemistry with each other, and they had some great lines in this scene. I like how the film slowed down once these two characters meet so that we get a better idea of both of their motivations and be able to empathize with them more.
It’s a great setup for when they arrive at their destination towards the end of the short, when the typical “rom-com” genre tropes would set these two on a romantic adventure, where they discover one another and form a wonderful and genuine bond, that it takes a hilariously unexpected turn, that I don’t think audiences will be expecting. The setup to this punchline is expertly crafted into the overall message of the story that expectations are not exactly what you hope for all of the time. I loved how the humor was set up in this film.
Overall, “Baggage” is a funny and unique take on moving to the city, and it serves audiences with a decent amount of heart, character, and humor throughout. Director Andrea Behring is very impressive in his technical work and he showcases it in a fun and exciting way that will have audiences laughing until the end.
