THE PREMISE:

"After making a wish on his birthday, a lonely visually impaired man finds his world turned upside down by an unexpected encounter."

OUR MOVIE REVIEW:

Audio Description breaks the fourth wall in the most imaginative way since Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. The short runs through the gamut of hope, despair, and friendship - all in the span of five quick minutes. The short film is entertaining, funny, and wholly unique. Bring on the sequel!

Lee Pugsley plays Eric, a lonely visually-impaired man who suddenly finds himself hearing an audio narration of his life. Eric doesn’t want his life narrated. At all. Especially one he sadly realizes that he doesn’t have much of a life that needs to be voiced-over. The audio describer is at first relentless; an astral entity that does not grant or bequeath, rather, watches and commentates. Think of heaven for Howard Cosell. But then a weird friendship between spirit and body is cleverly drawn. And similar to how Ferris needed to lure Cameron out of his introverted shell, so too is Eric pushed into a similar realization.

Audio Description is written and directed by Luke J. Salewski. Working with a micro-budget, Salewski perfectly sets up Eric’s droning life, throws him into embarrassing conflict, and lets a friendship grow - all with a wink and smile. This is the short story artform at its best. Pugsley plays Eric as a silent, invisible man resigned to eat Hot Pockets as a birthday treat. The voice from beyond (Jonathan Regier) goes on to convince Eric that there is more spice to life than what comes out of a microwave.

Salewski’s camera work is simple and direct. He lets Pugsley be the star and uses his visual impairment as a necessary element - not a disability - for the story. The result is masterful.

Audio Description shows the lighter side of working in a cubicle farm, especially when you have a semi-annoying friend. 
 

Be sure to catch Audio Description – and many other indie projects – over at Slamdance.