Script Tease (dir. Chad Thurman)

By: Adam Freed

Nothing gets a starving screenwriter hotter than being told that someone is interested in their work. For many writers, “I like your script” may be the four most erotic words they could ever  hope to hear.  Writer and Director Chad Thurman perfectly juggles the plight of the starving artist and a beautifully captured sense of late 20th century "nighttime cable” nostalgia in his riotously sultry and confidently crafted short comedy Script Tease.  Set against the muscular backdrop of Chicago’s unmistakable skyline, screenwriter Konnor Krush, captured with innocent desperation by Jake Gutwillig, sheepishly steps inside a solitary phone booth. With the receiver in one hand, Krush clutches to his well-traveled script with the other, desperately seeking words of affirmation from the simmering voice on the other end of the line.  The desperate writer engages with the tantalizing voice of Claudia in a playful and faux-sexualized session of editorial foreplay.  

What may be most impressive about Thurman’s short film is the level of difficulty it takes to pump this much comedic industry insight into such a small package.  Script Tease watches like a list of career fantasies anyone hoping for a Hollywood breakthrough has likely experienced on their much-worn path towards success.  Despite its brief runtime, Script Tease boasts a pair of notable performances.  The aforementioned Gutwillig imbues Konnor with the angsty desperation known only to the starving artist.  The counterpunch to Gutwillig’s desire is the sultry voice of Claudia, played with confident seduction by Cati Glidewell.  Glidewell’s alluring intonations act as the metaphorical temptation Konnor needs to keep him on Hollywood’s salacious hook.  

Target Score 9/10 - Chad Thurman’s sexy industry satire is about as much fun as one can pack into its miniscule frame.  Bolstered by a pair of engaging performances and Thurman’s deft comedic sensibility, Script Tease is a festival season short worthy of pursuit.