By Simon Thompson
Writer/director Renaud Parra’s Damsel in Geekstress is a funny slapstick horror comedy, that squeezes every last ounce of juice out of a deceptively simple premise. The acting, the editing, and the cinematography are all extremely professional and accomplished and in just eleven minutes the film manages to tell a complete story in a perfect three act structure.
The short follows Eva (Morgane Frioux), a geeky shut-in who seemingly spends most of her time on her extensive pc set up. Eva’s day seemingly starts off as normal, until the inciting incident that a rare limited edition figurine that she has badly coveted is about to go on sale. As the clock ticks down to when the figurine will be available to buy, Eva is caught between answering a phone call from her mother (Helene Dereginer), and entertaining her attention-starved pet gerbil Koki- with both distracting her from staying glued to and alert near her computer screen so that she can get what she wants.
Damsel In Geekstress starts off slowly, but as soon as the figurine is introduced into the plot the movie speeds up at a whiplash pace to convey the sense of chaos that Eva is experiencing. The quick cutting, slapstick violence, and the use of close ups is strongly reminiscent of both Edgar Wright as well as Sam Raimi and Peter Jackson’s early work.
The cinematography presents a deft contrast between the dark and dimly lit surroundings of Eva’s bedroom, with the bright flashing lights of her computer and smartphone. The mixture between the artificial light of the film’s interior and the various rays of sun creeping through Eva’s bedroom curtains gives it a distinctive look that sticks with you.
Morgane Frioux’s performance as Eva, showcases her skills at both verbal and physical comedy. In one of the short’s few extensive dialogue scenes, the argument between Eva and her Mother, Frioux displays both a naturalistic quick wit and sense of exaggerated frustration in the space of just a few minutes – giving the audience a snappy look at the relationship between the characters.
Frioux is also, clearly, a very gifted physical performer who effortlessly performs the various pratfalls and slapstick required. Physical comedy is notoriously tough to pull off, so the fact that Frioux makes it look as easy as it does is a true testament to her skill as a performer.
Overall Damsel In Geekstress is an entertaining, well thought out short film which will please fans of both horror and comedy at the same time. If this short is anything to go by, then Renaud Parra is a talent who is well worth keeping an eye on in the next few years.
Damsel in Geekstress screened as part of Grimmfest 2025.
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