Fortune Cookie

Directed by Georgia Hampson

2022

“You will soon reconnect with a long lost love”.

Writer-director Georgia Hampson explores loss and hope in her new 14-minute short film Fortune Cookie which mixes the spiritual and soulful.

We open with Maya (Aimee Powell) who returns home to open a fortune cookie which says she will reconnect with a loved one. Dismissing the superstitious treat as nothing more than a vague statement, she tosses it aside not knowing how prophetic the message may actually be.

However, later that night a noise wakes Maya from her sleep and after grabbing a baseball bat she heads downstairs where a mysterious woman is sitting at her dining table.

The woman intruder is Natalie (Laura Rollins), Maya’s sister who we find out actually died three years ago. They move to the sofa as Maya questions how she could possibly have returned.

The film really works when director Georgia Hampson infuses the film not just with a heartfelt tone but also with lots of funny moments. A throwaway banana-throwing joke had me laughing out loud whilst a dance around the house gives some positivity to some of the sorrowful conversation.

Explaining she has just 5 hours on earth, Natalie refuses to share anything about the afterlife and simply asks her sister about her current life. The conversation quickly turns to the incident that caused Natalie’s death with regret, blame and acceptance all brought up between the two women.

The film brilliantly balances the jokes with these more poignant beats without any issues in tone due to a clever script also from the director. And towards its conclusion, the film gently pushes  the story along into a moving and sobering sequence about what we would say to loved ones if they were still here with us.

Fortune Cookie’s excellent attributes leads it to end as a funny and warm short, that is centred around two fantastic performances by Aimee Powell and Laura Rollins. They both inject the film with the surprising laughs and deliver the cheeky dialogue with charm and plenty of spirit.

The finished film therefore comes heartily recommended as it delivers fantastic direction and an excellent script, both bolstered by the terrific lead actresses who are impressive in every aspect.

★★★★★

Michael Sales