In the short “Ernesto’s Bag” Ruth (Bea Santos) works at a bridal salon. It has been three years and she has had enough of smiling and mumbling platitudes accompanied by crying mothers, radiant brides and the popping of cheap bubbly lubricating the wardrobe selection process. It is above her. The soon to be brides are mindless twits trapped in the bridal industrial complex. Being above all this triviality Ruth prepares a letter of resignation which baffles her boss as why not an e-mail. Her boss mutters, “What a wierdo!”
Well after work with her pal sipping cocktails in enormous plastic glasses Alice (Jenny Raven) announces she is marrying Tim who Ruth equates with a Golden Retriever. Ernesto the nonchalant chef at the restaurant El Gato Negro beside the bridal salon is a man of few words but seeing Ruth is upset with some issue offers her a bag of mushrooms, not Creminis, Oysters or Shitakes if you know what I mean. Ruth accidentally dumps the entire bag of champignons in her smoothie.
Alice arrives for a fitting and the shrooms take Ruth on a little “trip” to the extent that Alice looks like the creature from “Alien”. Is Ruth willing to accept the near inevitability of marriage? After all if James Brown has a brand new bag can Ruth’s bag of shrooms bring her a brand new outlook on marriage?
Directed by Isabelle Deluce and Giulia De Vita.
RKS 2024 Film: 86/100.
For more information about the Local Heroes Short Programme showing in theatre 30May2024 and virtually 31May2024 (Canada only) check out insideout.ca.
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