As you all know by now, Luke Matheny‘s short film “God of Love” won Best Short Film at the Oscars on Sunday night. The goofy-haired kid who proudly exclaimed, “I guess I should have gotten a haircut,” won his Oscar for his 18-minute thesis film for NYU. The film itself is a very well made and in one word- charming.
Matheny both directed the film and starred as the lead male romantic protagonist, Raymond Goodfellow, a lounge singer (and darts expert) who is bestowed the powers of Cupid. Well, sort of. The love darts he finds on his doorstep allow whomever is struck by them to fall in love for six hours, and at the end of the six hours, they have the free will to decide whether to stay in love or not. Long story short, Goodfellow does not get the girl of his dreams but instead helps others find their soulmates. The film ends the way it began with a close up of Goodfellow atop a scooter, bow and arrow slung across his shoulders, proclaiming that he is the “God of love.”
The film, which is shot entirely in black and white, is very relatable which is why it’s so charming. How can you not love the goofy awkward protagonist who pines for the girl who loves his best friend? We’ve all been there. You can’t help but root for him to win the girl over, and then you can’t help but love him even more when he sacrifices the girl he loves so she can be happy – with his best friend of all people. I’ll say it again, the film is extremely charming. Even the black and white didn’t bother me.
The best part of the film is the casting. Luke Matheny as the protagonist works so well because of his goofiness. He is that much more charming because he is awkward rather than if he was a suave and handsome guy. His clever dialogue really won me over. One of my favorite parts of the film is when he is ice skating with the object of his affection, Kelly (played by Marian Brock), and he is reciting the nine page poem he wrote to her – in Portuguese. Who couldn’t love a geeky romantic? Apparently not Kelly, who ends up with Goodfellow’s best friend, Fozzie, played by Christopher Hirsh.
Despite Goodfellow’s original motives being about subverting another’s free will for his own personal gain, I never once condemned him for it. Who wouldn’t jump at the chance to maybe fall in love? Goodfellow and Matheny both redeem themselves in the end, and make the film an instant hit.
