We’ve all been there. Chatting with friends, and before you know it, you’ve gone down a bottomless rabbit hole. In Jon Ryan Sugimoto’s short film, Gut Punch, bodega owner Rex (Greer Barnes) is having a rough night as Sandy (Sabrina Piper) didn’t order enough of a popular item. In walks Dan (Joe List), who asks if Rex carries any probiotics. Immediately, Rex pulls away, hoping not to catch what Dan might have.
Dan assures Rex that he’s fine. His doctor had prescribed antibiotics for Dan, so he’s not contagious. The conversation soon spirals into a discussion of being “pro-” or “anti-” biotic and then into the various big pharma conspiracies.
“His doctor had prescribed antibiotics for Dan, so he’s not contagious.”
There are not a lot of “jokes” in Gut Punch, but we’ve definitely been here when it comes to health, the government, and intelligent life in space. We all have our deeply guarded conspiracies that instantly come to light in casual banter, which somehow bonds us together.
In this very simple film, writer/director Sugimoto captures the spirit and camaraderie when regular folks like us just hang out and shoot the s**t. Barnes, List, and Adam Alpert, as Nigel, keep the conversation grounded and satirical in perfect harmony.
All Gut Punch does is confirm that we are all weird people, and the weirder, the better.
Gut Punch is currently available on YouTube.
