Written and directed by leading actor Michael Cooke, John’s curiosity and stupidity leads Stevie and Neil into an impossible scenario that goes from bad to worse and pushes the boundaries of family and friendship. Also starring: John Cooke, Hunter Bishop, Duncan Airlie James, Seylan Baxter and Perry Costello.
Making a good first impression is vital in short film, not only does it get your audience’s attention but it gives a clue as to the quality of the film itself and Care & Repair introduces itself with a lot of confidence. Moving smoothly through casual closeups to great quality landscapes that quickly add weight and build a captivating atmosphere. That foundation helps to create an everyday, relatable quality to the story which balances excellently with its comedic side. It’s a tricky thing to create a story like this with an almost unbelievable sequence of events and have it be sincere, as well as funny but Michael Cooke brings those qualities together well.
Especially when the story develops and has some nice tension and thrill to add into the mix, adding those layers enhances the atmosphere. Cooke’s direction also matches that evolution, with some great angle choices which have a lot to say. Another key point here is moderation, throwing in that fun, tense obstacle for the characters can sometimes push things overboard, but Cooke does well to keep a natural flow to the story. Which he deserves a great deal of credit for because there have been so many examples where films have gone way over the top but here the writing and directorial styles are consistent and well thought out.
On top of which it has a lot of personality to offer, the overall feel takes on board the charm of its leading men. Starting with writer, director Cooke who brings that classic hapless feel, with a bit of naivety that transforms into a big vulnerability but he also has a great banter with the other characters. Particularly with John Cooke, their fantastic chemistry makes a great deal of sense seeing as it would be almost impossible to not realise that they’re twins. That brotherly connection pays off and translates perfectly into this story with the quintessential split of the responsible one and the screw-up. Hunter Bishop then nicely rounds out the trio with an extra punch to the banter.
Care & Repair is a highly entertaining misadventure, setting its characters off down a classically snowballing path. It’s funny and charming but also does a brilliant job of creating a real, everyday feel, letting itself veer into an almost unbelievable sequence of events without losing its grip on reality or believability. Everything comes together really well, the only main weakness is the ending which isn’t hugely satisfying, leaving the film without a final hurrah or punch. That said, it’s an impressive debut from Michael Cooke which shows a great deal of talent, it’s hugely enjoyable, well shot, written and has a great cast.
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