Movie Review: Fried Barry (short)

Much like Christopher Walken, South African actor Gary Green has the sort of unusual facial features that make him fascinating to behold. Stern and intimidating at over six feet, the lean and athletic talent often finds himself cast as stern, mean bad boys and villains.

Something of a showcase for the actor, the experimental horror short Fried Barry, directed by Ryan Kruger, really gets up close and personal. Leveraging his most striking features and demanding an intense performance, we get in Green’s grill as he portrays a  drug-fueled maniac on the burn.

Dubbed “A Ryan Kruger Thing”,  it’s easy to see why it’s stamped in his name from his involvement as director, writer and producer. The “Thing” part attribute is clear from the experimental nature of this short film that runs just over 3 minutes long. Short, sharp and visceral, it’s designed to pack a punch… giving us some broad story brushstrokes but focusing its grotesque atmosphere and zippy style.

Pulsating music from HAEZER, razor-sharp editing from Stephen du Plessis, trippy visual effects and guidance from Kruger has turned this into an intense experience. Distantly reminiscent of Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream riff and one of the transformation’s from the new It film, the focus is on Green, whose pained expressions and contortions serve as the vibration for this warehouse horror with crisp cinematography by Roman Mulleger.

Fried Barry is disturbing and generates enough energy to unleash a mysterious character and wisps of a story that demand more attention. The short film is burning the film festival circuit at present and is scheduled to be released in an official capacity in 2018.