'Honey, I Think I've Forgotten' (HITIF) is the new award-winning short film from British-Ghanaian filmaker, Stacey Darkwaah Duah. The story centres around Mike, who realises he has forgotten the reason behind the 'X' marked in his calendar.
Vastly different from her previous successful film, 'Chocolate Coloured Sweetheart', Duah has branched into a more comedic field. Citing her inspiration as Friends and other American sitcoms, you can see this reflected in her work.
I genuinely found myself laughing out loud when watching this, and Chris J. Gordon's performance really shone through. The small actions of him gazing into the distance, even him fidgeting while on the phone to Lo (Logan, his best friend who also supplied some comedic relief) added much more depth to his character, for a moment you forget that you are watching a film production and are not just a fly on the wall.
What was nice about HITIF was how utterly relatable it was, you have been a Mike or know a Mike! It was a nice homage to the genre without the usual cliches, it left me wanting more while also being immensely satisfied.
It was refreshing to watch a sitcom style short film with an all black cast and I think it was a very bold move on Duah's part, which completely paid off. She states on this 'I wanted it to have a mainstream feel whilst giving a platform to the underrepresented but equally talented: the Black British creative'. I hope other creatives take note from this, as representation for the black community is more important now than ever.
'Honey, I Think I've Forgotten' is a quintessentially British take on what is a usual US dominant field, this film is a great insight into the talent of Duah and proof that she is not limited to just one genre. I for one, am excited to see what she will come out with next.
USEFUL LINKS:
Director’s IMDB page - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7443943/ Director’s Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/pg/OfficialStaceyDuah/
Director's Youtube channel - https://bit.ly/2PhMCGp
MAIN PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Written / Directed and Produced by: Stacey Darkwaah Duah Director of Photography: Haider Romero Perez
1st Assistant Director: Tia Phillips
Production / Set / Props Designer: Conor Powell
Production Assistant: Andrea Nzeza-Nzongo
Sound Operator: Ajiri Owuasu
Film Score by: Peter Flint
TALENT: Chris J. Gordon – as “Mike” Nia Deacon – as “Sabrina” Sanchez Roberts – as “Logan” Gabin Kongolo – as “Blu Browne / News Reporter”
Michael Adewale – as “Trevor”