A man is desperately trying to sell his guitar to find some money to provide for him and his wife. They are both living in a motel and with a disastrous financial situation. As he finally finds a buyer for the guitar he feels like confessing about his circumstances, but his confession discloses an unexpected truth.
Alex Merkin’s character, Habib, is at the edge of despair. His crisis is triggered by his wife’s distrust in him. This sets him on a path of rage and frustration.
‘This Modern Man Is Beat’ is not a story about heroes and exceptional personages but a story about the hardness of life and the ordinary man who loses control over their situation. This is the case of Habib. He loves his wife but her whims put so much pressure on our character that he gives in to one single moment of rage, and this will be decisive for his future.
Alex Merkin’s film draws awareness not only on the repercussions of despair and the dangerous direction in which despair can lead a man’s actions but also on the numbness of reason with which love treats us all. Habib has obviously been blinded by love. His wife is from a different league and he is obviously not the one for her. His unwillingness to see and accept the truth, his refusal to manly face the truths of his relationship with his wife and clear things out build up to worsen things and deteriorate his ability to deal with them even more. His emotions prevent him from seeing who his wife truly is, what she wants and what he has really become – the ‘slave’ of emotions – along with what needs to be done in order to either save the relation or end the conflict.
Wonderfully shot and visually narrated, ‘This Modern Man Is Beat’ is designed to unfold gradually and mysteriously. Things remain secret up to the very last moment of the action.
Alex Merkin’s short film is going to hook and torture you with its enigma but will nevertheless entertain and enchant with its beautiful cinematography and the unsuspected twist of the story.
TMFF RATING:
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