Present Company Excluded

Directed by Ash Arnold

2026

Shushka Porductions

Nominated for Best Writing at the 2026 Midlands Movies Awards, Present Company Excluded is a very much dialogue based drama involving two ‘old friends’ catching up at a diner.

A country and western song opens the short, giving it an Americana vibe with its diner setting a clear riff on Tarantino’s opening/ending to Pulp Fiction. Filmed at the 50s American Diner in Swadlincote, Derbyshire, we certainly see the filmmakers’ influences from the get-go.

We are introduced to Marlene (Moya Allen) who sits in one of the café’s booths awaiting the arrival of Gleeson (Zane Hopkins).

As a waitress takes their order, the two acknowledge they haven’t met in a while and much is said between their few words with furtive glances and accusing looks. What is spoken however is given gravitas by its strong delivery from the two leads as they share their initial mundane thoughts back and forth.

Kicking off the drama is the request from the woman that she would like to die, with the man explaining she is not “on the list”. Intriguing, certainly. But a “revelation” that they haven’t met in 500 years pushes the film into a far more cryptic and curious thematic space.

What seems like a low-key meeting between a couple of criminals soon delves into a more meditative exploration of life and death. Somewhat literally in fact, with the couple embodying the two concepts during their discussion of the more profound elements of humanity.

Cutaways to the mundane processes of the café helps link the short’s contemplative tone, which looks at huge issues and minute details. And a nod to tipping the waitress £1.10 could be a Bible reference - possibly James 1:17 - "Every good and perfect gift is from above". I'll let you watch to see if you feel it fits.

Director Ash Arnold has done a really good job here with an extremely unique concept - albeit with a bit of an updated nod to The Seventh Seal. The moody neon lighting gives the piece a dark atmosphere with the characters somewhat underlit - perhaps a nod to their hidden identities and reluctance to be completely upfront about their intentions.

Perhaps a strange comment but one area I would redo completely is the film’s current poster. For a dark philosophical piece I’m unsure why a smiling cartoon coffee cup has been used as it hardly reflects the themes. I think it undersells the film a lot, where even a production still of the couple at the table would showcase its true qualities.

Present Company Excluded ends as an interesting experimental drama where everything is expressed through coded phrases, and what appears on the surface is merely the thematic construct. Overall enjoyment may depend on your engagement with a more unexplained and open-ended piece. But those willing to delve into its metaphorical and symbolic discourse will find it incredibly thoughtful and challenging.

★★★½

3.5 / 5

Michael Sales

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