Bernice Breckon Breaking Bad in F*Dance
This short film produced by Puppy Guts is a spot-on parody of dance/dance-off films like Step Up, Flashdance, and Footloose. At the beginning of the film, you think this is an ordinary breakdance battle between the top guy dancer, played by Reagan Morris; and the top girl dancer, G Nails, played by Bernice Breckon. But when you see that the two competitors dancing with their fingers on the turf, you get the point. It’s for laughs.
What makes this film work is the straight deadpan approach by the lead actors. That’s what makes a parody work. In this film, Breckon brings a gritty realism to her role — a street girl who’s up for the challenge. You think she’s going to claw her opponent’s face, and her cocky attitude is perfect. If the audience thinks for one minute that Breckon is aware that she’s in a parody, the effect is lost. Her ability to bring the audience into the serious joke sets the tone for the rest of the film. Breckon plays the haughty champion as if she was born and bred a dance queen, and was the perfect choice to play a character strong enough to compete with her F*Dancing rival. Breckon’s versatility is obvious in her portrayal of a tough girl with sultry undertones. She acts her part with an air of urban authenticity that makes you think she just stepped from the shadows of thuggery.
My question: Did Morris and Breckon do their own finger dancing, or did they have stunt doubles for that? Just kidding. Breckon’s feisty fingers are too much for the guy. Crushed, Morris regroups for a rematch. No spoilers here. You’ll have to watch to know the outcome.
This is a creative, entertaining little film that has you watching a second time, because when it’s all said and done, the finger dancing is FANTASTIC.
