"Dave Made a Maze" (2017, Bill Watterson, Gravitas Ventures, Butter Stories, Dave Made an LLC, Foton Pictures).
Annie (Meera Rohit Kumbhani) comes home from a weekend away to find a large cardboard thing in her livingroom. To make things weirder, the large cardboard thing contains her boyfriend, Dave (Nick Thune). Dave warns Annie not to enter his 'maze' for fear of getting lost and explains that he has been trapped within his cardboard creation for the full duration of Annie's trip. When Annie attempts to lift the maze to reveal Dave, Dave yells out and Annie decides to heed his warning. Confused, Annie seeks help from their friend, Gordon (Adam Busch), who then seeks the help of; Harry (James Urbaniak) and his film crew (Frank Caeti and Scott Narver), Leonnard (Scott Krinsky), Brynn (Stephanie Allynne), Greg (Tin Nordwind) and Jane (Kirsten Vangsness). Because that's not enough people to ponder this cardboard conundrum, they also bring over a local homeless man (Rick Overton) and two Flemish tourists (Drew Knigga and Kamilla Alnes).
After some pizza and a lot of pondering, the party decide to enter the cardboard maze. To their surprise, they discover that Dave was not lying and that the inside of the maze is much greater than its exterior looks. To their utter surprise, however, it soon becomes apparent that this maze has a mind of its own and that the maze's cardboard inhabitants may actually be dangerous. Can they find Dave and exit this maze or will they all meet a cardboardy doom?
A fantastically creative piece from the concept to the set design, to the characters. This film is so hard to put into any particular category. It really has to be experienced, to believe. The maze is a wonderfully inventive and sometimes creepy idea. It has an almost nostalgic feel to it. Like the cardboard equivalent of a Henson production.
The cast deliver an excellent off the wall performance that fits the film so well, in it's otherworldliness. It was nice to see Adam Busch as a familiar face, and Meera Rohit Kumbhani is excellent as Annie.
The film is not without its dark sides and we experience a surprisingly poignant reflection on serial project abandoner, Dave, and his relationship with his friends, Annie and also with himself.
At 80 minutes, the film does not overstay its welcome and its sheer inventiveness keeps you engaged as a viewer. A genuine delight that is so worth checking out. You can't know entering the maze whether it's your thing or not. You just have to go in and find out.
Currently streaming on the Arrow Player and available to purchase elsewhere.
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