Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
What better way to prepare for the fast-approaching weekend than by indulging in the some of the Internet’s most well-done web content? Take advantage of your lunch break and treat yourself to Afternoon Delight, Decider’s carefully curated picks of the best short-form content available on the world wide web. This week we’re tooting our own horn and spotlighting Afternoon Delight, a surprising, smart short film that takes every one of your wildest expectations and effortlessly, hilariously subverts them.
Directed by Matteo J. Mosterts, the short starts out fairly innocuously; Bobby (Travis Owens), a typical suburban dad, bids farewell to his wife and kids and wishes them well at grandma’s. He soon settles in with some snacks, the necessary supplies, and a DVD titled Afternoon Delight. While his intentions are clearly to enjoy some afternoon delight himself and revel in his alone time, the porn he’s preparing to enjoy soon turns into a much more sentimental exchange than the genre ever calls for. Sure, we start with some cheesy bad porn lines and painful overacting, but instead of getting it on, the two subjects of Afternoon Delight snap out of it when they start to swap sad stories of the passing of their pets. The two express sympathy towards one another about their shared pain over tea and continue a decidedly non-sexual exchange.
“No way they’re havin’ tea right now,” says Bobby incredulously. “What is this?” But they are, and as they bond over their mutual love of the Starland Vocal Band admit to their feelings of loneliness, something profound begins to emerge. Bobby concedes that the music is pretty good, and as the two protagonists continue to not bone, he finds himself… moved? When a sexy new lollipop-loving character is introduced, however, Bobby gets hyped for what he assumes will finally be the action he’s been waiting for. Joke’s on Bobby again, though, because even after employing every setup in the book, the moment is lost again when our supposed porn caricatures become human and start to mourn Jenna’s dog. We’ll leave whether or not they ever actually have sex a surprise, but the way Afternoon Delight plays out is damn-near perfect.
The consistent push and pull of sexual desire and frustration makes for uproarious comedy, and the hopeful, human overtones make Afternoon Delight a truly unique experience. The cast (and Owens in particular) knocks every moment out of the park without making it feel hokey, and the sharp editing drives every joke (and emotional sentiment home). A good spoof is hard to do, so Afternoon Delight‘s seemingly effortless execution of every sequence is remarkably compelling. It’s always nice to have your expectations thrown out the window and become privy to a pleasant, affecting surprise, and that’s exactly what Afternoon Delight does. Things aren’t sexy here – but they are hopeful. Take some 8-odd minutes of your day to watch something truly unique and enjoy your own afternoon delight – you’ll be glad you did.
Check out Mosterts’ Vimeo page for more top-notch content, and be sure to follow him on Twitter to stay up to date with his latest projects.
