FILM ANALYSIS AND FILM REVIEW BY BOAMAH CORNELIUS(BFAE28001)

 NAME: BOAMAH CORNELIUS 

INDEX NUMBER: BFAE28001

REVIEW ON: I'M YOUR DICKHEAD

DATE:20 th July,2025.

GROUP:3( THREE)

Director: Lucas Testro 

Genre: Comedy / Sci-Fi

Runtime: ~11 minutes 52 seconds

Setting: In a world where time travel is a simple hospital procedure.

Actors: Richard,Young Richard,Larry,Dr.Beckett, Dr. Preston,Ingrid Miller.

THE BEGINNING 
The film opens with a thoughtful quote from Blaise Pascal: “Man’s greatest strength lies in his power of thought.”This sets the tone for the film—highlighting how powerful (and sometimes dangerous) human thinking can be. We’re introduced to two men sitting awkwardly in a waiting room. Their faces show discomfort and tension as they wait for their appointment with Dr. Beckett, a scientist running a time-travel program. One of the men, Richard, is frustrated with his life and full of regret. He believes that if he could go back in time and convince his 10-year-old self to learn guitar, it would lead to a better life—filled with fame, money, and happiness.The other man(Larry) beside him shares a different reason for time travel. He had once traveled back in time to say goodbye to his mother before she died, a deeply emotional act of closure. Now, he is considering going again, but with caution.

When Richard finally meets Dr. Beckett, she warns him about the danger of time travel. She explains that meeting his younger self could cause the creation of multiple versions of himself, leading to internal conflict, chaos, and identity confusion. But Richard ignores her warnings. He’s made up his mind. He signs the documents, gets injected with the time-travel serum,giving a mustache and prepares for his journey to the past.

THE MIDDLE 

Richard ignores Dr. Beckett’s warnings, he is sent back in time and arrives on the day his 10-year-old self (Young Richard) is celebrating his birthday. Richard tries to connect with his younger self(Young Richard) and immediately tells him to start playing guitar. He believes that if he learns it early, he will become a rockstar, get popular, and finally win over the girl he once loved—Ingrid Miller. At 10 years old, Young Richard doesn’t fully understand the idea of impressing girls with music. He is more focused on playing games and enjoying his birthday. When Richard realizes the guitar idea isn’t working, he decides to return to the future, grab an actual guitar, and bring it back to give to his younger self. On returning to the past again with the guitar in hand, Richard is caught off guard when he sees his mother for the first time in years. She is young, alive, and kind—exactly how he remembered her. But something strange happened. 

Richard becomes emotionally confused. He feels love and longing, but it’s more than just motherly affection—it becomes uncomfortable and obsessive. These strong feelings begin to break his mind, and because he keeps traveling back and forth with these thoughts, multiple versions of himself begins to appear, all confused, panicked, and broken.

THE ENDING 

After all his attempts to fix the past, Richard becomes completely overwhelmed. Because of his selfish use of time travel, he has created multiple versions of himself—each representing different regrets and failed choices. The past begins to leak into his present. Everything is confusing. The girl he once had a crush on, Ingrid Miller, is now his wife—just like he hoped for. He can also play the guitar, just like he wanted. But none of it feels real. He didn’t grow into these changes naturally; he forced them by changing time. Now, his younger self, his mother, and different versions of himself keep appearing in the present. He no longer knows who he really is. Though he got what he wanted, he still feels empty. The version of life he has now isn’t satisfying because it was built on pressure, force, and regret. He feels like he has both won and failed at the same time. He is now haunted—not by what went wrong, but by the things he could’ve avoided if he had simply accepted his life as it was. 

In the final scene, Richard returns to the hospital and meets the man he spoke to at the beginning of the film—the man who went back in time to say goodbye to his mother. Now, that same man is facing the same consequences: multiple versions of himself, emotional pain, and chaos in the present. This final moment shows that time travel is dangerous, not just physically but emotionally. It reminds us that fixing the past often leads to more problems than solutions.

Protagonist: Richard

He learns the hard way that regret cannot be erased, only lived through. His journey shows us how chasing perfection can leave us more broken.

With a Specific Objective or Goal:

Richard’s goal is to correct his past mistakes and make a better future for himself. He wants to win Ingrid’s heart, fix his relationships, and become someone successful. But instead of improving things, he starts causing more problems with each time travel.

In the Face of an Antagonist with a Context of Set Principles:

The antagonist in this story is not a typical villain. It is Richard himself his own ego, bad decisions, and selfishness are the real enemy. He breaks the natural rules of time, ignoring the warning signs, and thinking only of himself. The principles of time and consequence become the real conflict in the story.

Willing to Struggle:

Richard keeps traveling through time even when things go wrong. He meets Young Richard, who is still full of hope and energy, and even brings back his mother from the future. Instead of fixing things, his actions create a mess where different versions of himself are all alive at the same time. He becomes overwhelmed and begin to emotionally break down, showing he is not ready for the consequences of his choices.

Have to Find Oneself in a Situation of Win or Lose It All:

At the climax, Richard is faced with total chaos. He loses control of his life, his identity, and the people around him. Ingrid, the woman he admired, is now married to him in one timeline, but he doesn’t feel happy about it. The person he wanted to become no longer exists. This is his “win or lose it all” moment he must accept the mess he created or disappear into it.

Until Differences in Principle Are Resolved:

In the end, Richard goes back to the hospital, where he once met a mysterious man who warned him. This shows that the real lesson is not about changing the past, but about accepting it. Richard realizes he cannot fix everything with shortcuts or time travel. He must live with the consequences of his decisions and make peace with himself.

 

             STORY THEMES 

The film made me feel a mix of emotions amused, awkward, reflective, and sad. At first, I laughed at the ridiculous situation and Richard’s desperation, but later, I felt a deeper sadness about how regret and obsession can control someone’s life. It made me think about my own past and how important it is to accept things we cannot change. Yes, the story engaged me right from the beginning. The film opens with a quote by Blaise Pascal, which instantly creates a serious and thoughtful mood. Then, it jumps into a funny but awkward scene with two men in a waiting room talking about to time travel. It was unique, interesting, and got my attention immediately.The main message is that you can’t fix your future by changing your past. Regret is powerful, but trying to force the past to change often causes more problems. We must learn to accept our past and focus on who we are now. Richard, the main character, was realistic and relatable. His mix of regret, ambition, and confusion made him feel like a real person. Young Richard was believable too stubborn, rude, and full of confidence like many 10-year-old. Dr. Beckett also played a perfect role for been the doctor in warning his patients the risk involve in time traveling.

The cinematography was simple but effective. The tight shots in the small bedroom made the scenes feel intense and uncomfortable in a funny way. The contrast between the bright childhood home and the darker clinic added emotional depth. In the film you could the relationship especially between Richard and his younger self. Their arguments felt like a battle between hope and regret. Also, the short, quiet moment between Richard and his mother was emotionally strong.

The soundtrack was minimal but worked perfectly. Instead of music, it used silence and natural sounds to add awkwardness and humor.It didn't exceeded my expectations. What looked like a simple comedy turned out to be a deep, meaningful story about regret and identity. But I recommend it each and everyone to watch this short film. Thank you!

#Visual Storytelling #IVS2025 #Uni MACIFT