In Fabian Munsterhjelm’s Pantyhose, Jonna (Satu Tuuli Karhu) running back upstairs to change after her pantyhose rips turns into a much bigger argument about the way she and her husband Matti (Samppa Batal) interact.
Awards Buzz spoke with Munsterhjelm about how he conceived of this film’s premise:
“The initial idea for the short film came when me and my girlfriend, we were going to attend a gala, and I was standing in the hallway and we were about to be late. I remember standing in the hallway and I was getting really frustrated, because my girlfriend was busy doing something else, and then I thought to myself, ‘This moment could be a short film.’ So a few days later, I called the co-writer and also actor in the film, Samppa Batal, who plays the man in the film, and I pitched him the idea, and, luckily, he got really excited. Then one night we just started writing and we initially thought that the film would be a screwball comedy, but when we were writing it, we started to discover that actually what this film is about is these two people’s relationship. So, in the beginning, you expect it to be a comedy, but then it sort of turns into a drama about these two people.”
He commented on how the film has played differently with certain audiences:
“The film has been working around the world, but what was really interesting to notice, was that in Japan, where this was screened in Short Shorts Film Festival, where it became qualified for the Academy Awards, I noticed, because I went to a lot of screenings, the Japanese audience, they didn’t laugh at other comedies. Even though they may find it funny, they seemed a bit more reserved. They didn’t clap between the screenings. But during our screening, I noticed they were a little bit giggly, and I thought, ‘Okay, that’s a big success. That means, like, they liked the film.’”
Watch the video above to hear if he recommends seeing this film with a partner and how he feels about making this into a feature – or, better yet, the idea of a sequel.
Pantyhose is on the Oscar shortlist for Best Live Action Short.
