The Privates (Short film)

If you've been reading this site for awhile, you may recall my mentioning the band The Privates on multiple occasions. They're a great band that's been dormant since 2009. So it was quite surprising to learn that filmmaker Dylan Allen had taken the music of the band and used it as a jumping off point for a sci-fi short film named in their honor....

The Privates" premiered as a Vimeo Staff Pick and features a rag-tag group of four friends starting a band that, literally, explode with electricity whenever they perform. It's a bit sci-fi, a bit 80's ensemble cast and quite a bit enjoyable. The Vimeo write-up on it hints at the underlying struggle in the film:

To Allen, "The self-destructive energy felt like an ideal metaphor for the frustration that all independent artists encounter while trying to do what they do when no one could care less." So why bother trying to create anything? Especially when your craft requires you to put out fires along the way? The spirit of "The Privates" and the pursuit of unknown bands everywhere answers this question perfectly. Because trying to make anything creative with friends is fun, cool, and can result in amazingly unexpected things.

Heavy handed? Maybe. But I think a quirky sci-fi film that hints at the frustrations of being a creative person, despite the odds and hurdles, works pretty damn well. Oh, and it really is a pleasure to watch. Give it a whirl and then visit the band's back catalog.