Written and directed by Ben S. Hyland, determined to not have any more kids, a dim-witted dad reluctantly goes for a vasectomy. Starring: Ciaran Dowd, Rebecca Shorrocks, Sunil Patel and Matt Skillington.

Put in a ridiculously simple fashion, if you’ve found yourself with more children than anticipated and they occasionally (or constantly) make you feel like you’re going mad, you’ll strongly relate to The Snip. The same goes for if you’re a man who’s ever had an illogical or irrational fear of having a vasectomy, stemming from a massive misunderstanding of what the procedure actually is, this will hit a lot of familiar notes.

There’s a big mixture of things going on with Ben S. Hyland’s style for The Snip, starting with that classic childish and incredibly male sense of humour. It’s very familiar but that’s because there are some things that people will simply always find funny. Even Ari Aster, who is arguably an auteur filmmaker, capitalised on the humour brought by a ridiculous presence of testicles in Beau is Afraid.

Next up you have the concept of the internal filter, the part of our brains that stop us from saying things which make us sound cold, callous or just plain dumb, something which Hyland has enjoyable removed for Tony (Ciaran Dowd). He has plenty to say to create some WTF or woah moments, and the performance from Dowd doubles down on that with so many wonderfully naïve and moronic notes. What takes that even further is the editing (by Jim Page), it has such a satisfying snap to it, it adds a certain sharpness that contrasts with its simpler sense of humour.

Hyland’s directorial style mixes between something more structured and modern, with a big use of the imagination, throwing back to a lot of classic comedy cinema. It dips its toes into absurdist but keeps its feet mostly planted in reality. It has the ability to encompass a lot of different tones, whether that be silly, sarcastic or satire.

One of the aspects of writing which Hyland has proved repeatedly throughout his short films that he’s fantastic at, is creating a resounding final note. The Snip is no exception, and it takes the film to another level because it’s playing with that old-school comedy throughout but then doesn’t let the credits roll before it gets in a cheeky, smart final punch.

That old-school style is also nicely balanced with the character of Dr. Patel, played by Sunil Patel, who provides another relatable perspective for viewers. If you can’t click with the parental view, then you can likely connect with the idea that people can be remarkably stupid and ill-informed when it comes to sex education. He gives that doctorly air of exasperation yet patient and sympathetic.

The same goes again for Rebecca Shorrocks’ Lindsey, she’s incredibly relatable, she’s kind and forgiving of her partner’s weaknesses, and that tone matches really well with the bluntness that Dowd brings. They also have a competitive edge to their relationship which creates some great banter and superb comedic timing.

The Snip is a bit of balls out comedy, playing with the male ego and misguided ideas of masculinity. It’s familiar yet imaginative, simple yet sneakily clever and the leading trio of Dowd, Shorrocks and Patel create a really satisfying mix of personalities to watch, with great comedic timing. The editing hits a perfect note, the direction is flexible and fluid, and it isn’t afraid to use the reliably enjoyable theme of how dumb people can be. It’s also inadvertently a good advocate for stronger sex education.

Verdict: ✯✯✯✯½ | 9/10

The Snip will celebrate its World Premiere at Short Com Film Festival on 2 September before screening at Bolton Film Festival & Edmonton International Film Festival