belay on (short)
Allie and Travis are a deeply frustrating codependent couple. As they embark on a weekend climbing trip, their jealousy and insecurity put them at constant conflict with each other and the people around them. Johnny Frohman takes a toxic relationship to the edge with Belay On.
At a runtime under 12 minutes, the short wastes no time in establishing exactly who these characters are. Allie and Travis are introduced clutching each other in a hug in the middle of an athletic store, professing their love and only reluctantly separating when an employee comes to assist them. As they go to separate sections of the store, jealousy rears its ugly head as they catch each other interacting with staff members and start using them as pawns in a game for flirtatious dominance.
The couple is self-absorbed to a hilarious and horrifying degree, blind to their impact on the world around them. It only gets worse as they embark on their trip and the stakes go from high to deadly when they encounter a fellow climber stuck on the mountain.
The script navigates a tricky tone. The humor is outsized, centered around Allie and Travis’ narcissism, but it stays sharp and avoids feeling one-note. It’s aided by two strong performances in Al Warren and Molly Wurwand. They are vacuous, obnoxious people, but they manage to feel lived-in and disturbingly recognizable. Despite playing the worst people you’d ever want to stuck with in an elevator, Warren and Wurwand make them a delight to watch and cringe at.
All of the elements do a great job at navigating a tone between humorous and harrowing. The music and editing are two highlights, as it’s scored and cut like a horror film. Sharp strings and sharp cuts imbue every scene with a sense of dread, and you wonder what’s going to snap and when. As the anxiety builds, the humor becomes an increasingly appreciated release. Johnny Frohman’s Belay On is a biting, tense, and funny story that seems to enjoy keeping the audience dangling.
