Written and directed by leading actress Olivia Ormond, over the course of one night in a roadside motel, a young woman living with chronic pain opens up to a stranger, revealing the hidden cost of an illness the world refuses to see. Also starring: David Kopriva.
Olivia Ormond eases viewers into the story of Call Me Crazy by opening things on a classic meet-cute setup and allowing herself and David Kopriva to build a charming chemistry before unravelling its layers. It’s an interesting, unusual choice to approach the story of a complicated illness in a way which focuses on portraying how it’s perceived, or perhaps not at all, by others. It’s a thoughtful way to capture how some illnesses are invisible to others despite inexorably altering the lives of those who suffer with them.
However, it is a choice that comes with a disadvantage, with a short film you only have so much time to explore your topic, so it can feel underserved here. By the time it progresses to the point of addressing Emi’s (Olivia Ormond) illness directly, it’s almost ready to roll the credits. Meaning that while the intentions are very meaningful, the layers don’t entirely have enough time to develop and create a bigger impact. The conversation surrounding health, both mental and physical, is at times overtaken by the romantic vein to the story, causing it to not quite reach its full potential.
That’s not to say that the romance side of things isn’t also a valuable part of Call Me Crazy. Capturing the impact of making a simple human connection, even if very brief, and how those moments of empathy can mean a great deal. Something which Olivia Ormond and David Kopriva do a wonderful job of portraying with their performances. They build a genuine, unexpected vulnerability, and it’s extremely organic in that it’s not immediate, there’s a little bit of fumbling to find the comfort to open up.
Ormond brings a unique blend of hyper-sensitivity and nonchalance to Emi, she desperately wants to take a chance but also has so little energy and mental space to jump over hurdles to make that connection. While Kopriva’s Ben is endearingly empathetic, again in the very natural manner of stumbling at first but having the best of intentions and an open heart, which is lovely to see in an age plagued with disillusionment, selfishness and apathy.
Those performances are then well complemented by Ormond’s directorial style. It’s gentle and pensive, it floats through this story as if to give its characters the space to be vulnerable. The cinematography from Andrew Parkerton is great work and helps to build the layered presence that Ormond’s writing and direction are looking for.
Call Me Crazy is a thoughtful exploration of invisible illnesses and the struggle of facing uncaring, unsympathetic, and often prejudiced, medical institutions. Olivia Ormond chose a unique approach to this story, in order to shift the perspective, and encourage viewers to think about what that internal fight looks like from the outside, and the power of a sympathetic ear. It’s tender, charming, vulnerable and led by two excellent performances from Olivia Ormond and David Kopriva.
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