What Is You Laughin For?
From the Archives
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Short Films, 06-Dec-2024
Four friends live in a toxic state of limbo until world events change everything. David Dunnington’s “What Is You Laughing Four” is an energetic look at the highs and lows of male friendship in all its camaraderie and inexplicability. Set in Philadelphia, we meet the group of friends as they slowly gather in a dilapidating concrete lot. It’s the Summer of 2019 or, as one of them puts it, “a hot girl summer” and they anticipate the festivities ahead. Summer jumps to November, and their hangouts continue—this time a smoke session on a rooftop. Seemingly inseparable, each of the four friends has their own oddball energy to contribute to the friendship; nonetheless, we also see how quick the young men are to pick each other apart. A few more time jumps occur, including one that sends us through Covid. The film observes the antics and quarrels between the fellas in vignettes and spoken-word narrations from an anonymous stalker. -JM. Director: David Dunnington. Cinematography: Dan Ramsey Strauss. Cast: Jabari Banks (as Patrick Campbell), Basil Thompson (as BJ Thomson), Tim Williams, David Dunnington.
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