In the same manner as to how Netflix’s Bridgerton blends its English Regency with a modernised mentality, Jonathan Hammond‘s Fireflies in the Dusk takes that notion and dials it to 11, enhancing its sense of absurdity and random humour to create a truly witty, daft comedy in the process.
The short film’s comedic temperament is immediately on display as we get a glimpse of the regal Charlotte (Emily Goss), a late-Victorian maiden, who has found a wormhole of sorts that allows her to communicate with the modern world. Through her lush penmanship she has been writing letters to 21st century dude-bro Zack (Nick Ballard), whose responses, whilst charming and refreshing to the more proper Charlotte, certainly speak to his psyche.
Hammond’s concept – the writing duties shared with Ryan Roach – is delightfully nonsensical, and the fact that there’s no explanation as to why such a space-time portal exists only adds to the film’s overall wackiness. Even when Charlotte throws caution to the wind and jumps inside the writing desk that acts as the vessel between centuries, Zack and his fellow office workers – unimpressed manager Martin (Drew Droege) and obsessed co-worker Breanna (Jade Catta-Preta) – aren’t entirely taken aback by her arrival, more that the disadvantages of her time pertaining to hygiene have taken their toll; “Yeah, she smells like shit. Like, actual, literal shit”, is Breanna’s main cause of concern.
Goss and Ballard play off each other wonderfully, with their mismatched energy leaning into the very different ways men and women view each other; even more so with literal centuries separating them. As much as the film sets up their supposed love story, the true surprise for Fireflies in the Dusk is what eventuates between Martin and Charlotte’s supposed betrothed, Cecil (Hale Appleman), who all too easily slips into the personality of a bitchy queer who cancels plans without a second thought and learns the ins and outs of online “dating.”
At 17 minutes, it’s outstandingly impressive what Hammond has crafted, with Fireflies in the Dusk formulating a complete narrative. Even with its abrupt ending (this thing sure takes a wicked turn), it’s a wild, satisfying comedy that delights in subverting the usual approach to time-travel stories, enjoying its satirical layer on societal etiquette. A melodramatic romp of a comedy.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Fireflies in the Dusk is screening as part of this year’s Cleveland International Film Festival streaming program, running between April 6th and 13th, 2025. For more information on the festival, head to the official site here.
