Arthur (Alex Lykos) is having a hell of a night. The woman of his dreams won’t return his call, his next door neighbour keeps dropping in unannounced and the left side of his brain just wont leave him alone. The aspiring actor has an important audition in the morning and it’s not looking so good.
We’ve all had moments where that little voice in our head gives us advice, sometimes good, sometimes bad and sometimes monumentally misguided. Building a story around that voice is a clever idea and basing it on such a neurotic subject as Arthur, opens up the situation for much laughter.
Having the left brain voice personified by an actual person, in this case actor, Malcolm Kennard gives the film a surreal edge. Playing with flashbacks, timelines and dream sequences also blurs reality. However basing it in a city as identifiable as Sydney helps to ground the visuals and keeps things from becoming too abstract.
Pulling all the elements of writer, director, producer and lead actor together must have been a mammoth task for Alex Lykos. His joy in the art of film making however comes through vividly and while his influences colour a number of on-screen moments, they can be seen as respect not imitation. The humour underlying both the film and the crazy complications that modern day life throws at us gives the work an engaging relatability.
Rob Hudson
www.meandmyleftbrainmovie.com
