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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
Stuck is a comedy-fantasy short film that definitely brings “fantasy” to this year’s annual Fantastic Fest. Pair the film’s title with the term “sex doll”, and the synopsis kind of speaks for itself. The three-minute narrative follows a male named Eli (Ryan Potter) who literally binds to his sex doll after an intense session of coitus. With its runtime, it appears as if few can be said about the short. Yet, a picture can speak a thousand words, so a brief motion picture could surely express an entire thesis on how absurd albeit feasible this story is.
Stuck is written by Nena Ezzeddine and is directed by Giselle Bonilla. Tianyu Yang serves as the producer.
In this review, I will discuss Stuck. As this article’s title suggests, no spoilers will be present.
Discussion
Bonilla and Ezzeddine are masters of their craft with this Fantastic Fest short. Female sex dolls in the media have been depicted sufficient times for me to be desensitized by now. In 2014, Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty illustrated its teenage boy protagonist siring a half-human/half-human creature following intercourse with a sex doll. From 2021 to 2022, Alissa Nutting showcased Ray Romano as a single father and widow whose new romantic partner is a sex doll… Although, that’s not the main idea of Nutting’s short-lived HBO Max series adaptation, Made for Love.
Stuck is no different. Although, it is evident that elements and resources were put together to comprise this specific sort of narrative. Bonilla and her production designer, Yajie Qin, sought out a sex doll from a sex doll brothel, which surprised me to learn that such places exist. If their discovering a doll with a melted vagina wasn’t enough, then a Wakanda for sex freaks will truly shock decent folks. While the protagonist, Eli, spends time having skin-to-skin contact with an other, that still calls for intimacy coordination, courtesy of Allison Bibicoff.
Composer Matteo Debole lends a squeaky soundtrack to the short. The score and/or sound design of Eli grinding against rubber, along with the blips and beeps of the ultrasound machine sometime later ups the tension of the narrative’s conflict. The music is an excellent highlight next to the visual components.
Imageries of Fantasy
The shots of Eli walking up a stairway mirror the Greek legend of Sisyphus rolling a boulder up a hill. Yet, that was made known to me beforehand. Rather, what intrigues me are a couple of instances where Eli engages in the male gaze. His scene in the elevator with a woman (Brittany Do) feels all too common with what is usually seen in romantic comedies and other film genres. Moreover, I cannot help but feel as if the character’s scene where he copulates whilst looking out at his video screen parallels the iconic shot of Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049.
You know the one, right? Ryan Gosling’s Officer K is bathed in pink or purple light as a larger-than-life image of Ana de Armas’s Joi looks back at him. This moment is recreated in Stuck, further demonstrating the divide between reality and fantasy. Ezzeddine writes a screenplay for the film that consists of no dialogue whatsoever. Thus, the story is told through various images, including Eli’s facial expressions. The film’s resolution is a risky gasp for fresh air, even if it means Eli’s expulsion of DNA specimen could eventually kill him.
Qin and cinematographer Shi-Hyoung Jeon create a pristine display of a man’s marriage to an Other. “Till death do us part” seems to be the thesis here, with Eli risking blood loss one way or another. The production captures the character in such a manner that he feels entrapped, and I love the film all the more for it.
The Crew Behind Stuck
Shi-Hyoung Jeon serves as Stuck‘s cinematographer. Daniel Miramontes serves as the stills photographer.
Jiye Won is the editor.
Music composer Matteo Debole scores the soundtrack for the short film.
Allison Bibicoff (Faces) serves as the intimacy coordinator.
Naomi Williams serves as the storyboard artist.
Yajie Qin serves as the production designer.
Jisoo Jeong is the art director. Nymisha Gummadi is the set designer.
Billy Su serves as the costume designer. Shy Elizabeth serves as the hair & makeup artist.
The Cast of Stuck
Ryan Potter (DC’s Titans) plays Eli, the main character who gets “stuck” to his sex doll.
Sam H. Clauder II and Victoria Hoffman play a doctor and a nurse, respectively.
Brittany Do portrays a woman in an elevator. Nana Belle portrays a porn artist.
Peter Finlayson plays an old man.
Final Thoughts on Stuck
I never had any issues with the sex doll being depicted as a character. In fact, I’ve had read the humanization of an otherwise objectified figure be the thesis of a peer’s essay in my Freshman year of undergraduate college, so I can completely understand Bonilla and Ezzeddine’s sentiments and where they wanted to take these ideas. Stuck is a bold take on closeness that comes at the cost of some viewers being quick to label it as “weird”. Although not comedic to my taste in humor, the storytellers’ examination of fantasy is one to empathize with; I can commend that much.
4.5/5 stars
Stuck is now playing at this year’s Fantastic Fest!
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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
