Mary, a scriptwriter in her 30s, has just been through a nasty breakup and has had to move in with her best friend Britt. Mary is not only depressed and heartbroken but also suffering from a serious case of writers block, with an impending deadline looming.
To cheer Mary up, Britt buys her a cardboard cutout of Leonardo DiCaprio. However he becomes an emotional crutch for Mary and an unhealthy obsession forms. Eventually this reaches a peak and Mary is forced to accept the reality of her life. This gives her inspiration for a script, which in turn leads to an unexpected career development.
Director: Marianna Dean
Writer: Mary Jane Lowe
Producers: Marianna Dean and Mary Jane Lowe
Cast: Mary Jane Lowe, Hannah Hoad, Christina Hardy and Roman Grey
“Dean utilises a reduced number of locations well, relying more heavily on the funny and believable dialogue to provide momentum. Her strengths in blocking the scenes prove formidable, as each sequence felt fresh and engaging even though they were made up of largely the same elements. There were some hugely enjoyable montages of Mary drinking red wine and getting generally “closer” to Leo which were well executed.
Dean also elicits a wonderful performance from Lowe, who is a terrific presence as the modern lady in distress that was reminiscent of Renée Zellwegger as the iconic Bridget Jones.
Genuinely funny in all the right places, Dean and Lowe more than make up for the flatness in DiCaprio’s performance, with a short film that has a timeless appeal.” – Chris Olson, UK Film Review
(https://www.ukfilmreview.co.uk/post/leo-short-film)