From TORONTO FILM SCENE

Indie Tuesdays: Free Door
Bill Howard

Michael L. Schmidt is a writer and director from Toronto. The reason I thought it pertinent to state that up front is that after watching his short film Free Door, I had an epiphany that it may be the quintessential Canadian film, embodying everything I love about being Canadian.

While driving down a rural road, Jim notices a red door with a sign reading 'free door'. He stops, examines the door and comes to the conclusion that it just might be perfect for a project he is undertaking. Jim approaches the house and asks the owner if he could have the door. What follows is an absurd conversation that demonstrates the personality traits that we Canadians hold dear.

Schmidt really nails the dialogue between the two men in Free Door. Jim is the personification of the polite Canadian, actually going to the trouble of double checking with the owner of the home if it is okay to take the 'free' door. The owner of the house is also a perfect representation of a Canadian, being a common sense man who can't understand why people have to make simple things complicated. There is a lot of both of these characters in almost everyone I know, and it is the balance of these two that make the people of this country so great. In the case of Schmidt, this is yet another fine example of why the funniest people in the world come from Canada. Classy, hilarious, insightful and dry, Free Door gave me more enjoyment in 8 minutes than I have in most 90 minute comedy features.

Free Door is screening as part of the National Screen Institute (NSI) Online Short Film Festival from July 15 to August 15, 2013.

Watch Free Door online at the NSI website and find out more about the film at its Facebook page..

Do you have a Canadian or locally shot film that is available for viewing online by digital purchase or streaming? Let us know about it and we just might feature it here! Email tellus @ thetfs.ca with details.

http://thetfs.ca/2013/07/23/indie-tuesdays-free-door/

By Bill Howard

A movie geek from birth, Bill has been an avid DVD and Blu-ray collector since the creation of the formats. Writing about movies is Bill's favorite way of sharing his passion for film. He also runs his own film website and has just finished his first fiction novel.