Movie info via Slamdance:
Darla runs a business called Kitty Kasket, LLC which makes custom burial receptacles for recently deceased loved ones (of the pet variety). It is an up-and-coming business, so Darla is stunned to learn that she owes $349,00.22 in taxes, due in one month! While filling in for her mom Leona cleaning a warehouse, Darla meets a recently sentient kombucha scoby named Mother who is instantly enamored with Darla and wants to help raise the money. How will Mother help? By using her ability to grant Mind-Blowing Orgasms, of course! Mother has a condition of her own, however: she needs Darla’s help to get to space.
Review:
Darla in Space (written and directed by Eric Laplante and Susie Moon) is a weird movie that’s easy to slip in to. It involves a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast), orgasms (but no significant nudity) and absurd humor and mildly sci-fi situations. Although space travel is promised, there is no actual space travel outside of the inner space transcendental semi-psychedelic kind.
Darla (Alex E. Harris), who is a nerdish mockup of Thelma from the Scooby Doo series and a recycled character from one of Alex Harris’ short films, is an entrepreneur waiting for that one big thing to hit. For her it’s cat caskets or Kitty Kascets, essentially plush tin sarcophagi for that feline love of your life. Her loony mother (Constance Shulman) has secretly sponged and funded her own hare brained schemes and gambling addiction off of Darla’s business and now the two owe the IRS 342,000.22 in back taxes. Darla is forced to work as a janitor and discovers a sentient Scoby called Mother (JS Oliver) fermenting in a kiddy pool of a cargo container— whose superpower is creating mind blowing orgasms in both humans and certain species of ants. Soon the two are dealing in the semi-legal orgasm trade.
Darla in Space delights in creating situations where the comedy is of vulnerably imperfect human origin. The conflict between Darla’s submissive nature and her growing confidence spurs much of the lunacy and plot development. I saw it as a stumbling towards heroic awareness, obtaining the qualities needed for a great entrepreneur and finding the courage and maturity needed to break the iron grip of parental control. Shulman is great as the kind of munchausen by proxy parent who will never let their child blossom beyond their own insecure but needy ego.
Darla in Space is pretty straightforward in its intent. it never disguises what it’s about. Most of it hits, except when it tries to have its absurdity and sci-fi elements into a conventional plot. Harris clearly knows her creation- her comic beats, her sincerity and insecurities, what works and doesn’t.
Darla in Space gets a 3.5/5 or a B+. It’s streaming as part of Slamdance 2024 which is part of the Slamdance Channel. The virtual part of the festival runs from January 22-28..
Credits:
Directed by
Writing Credits (in alphabetical order)
Cast
Alex E. Harris…Darla PetersonRasheda Crockett…Charity LegitimateConstance Shulman…Leona PetersonThomas Jay Ryan…Arnot PickensJS Oliver…MotherJenn Lyon…Dr. Brittney St. ClairEamon Patrick O’Connell…Phil FossPeter Davis…Mr. Foss
Cinematography by
Editing by
- Year:
2023 - Runtime:
94 minutes - Language:
English - Country:
USA - Genre:
Sci-Fi, Comedy - Subtitle Language:
English
Trailer
https://www.facebook.com/DarlaInSpaceMovie/videos/darla-in-space-teaser/532828834878364/
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