Office parties. Not even once, in an ideal world. But, the thing is, sometimes they’re unavoidable, if you want to get on in your career – that seems to be the case with the unnamed protagonist of Why Haven’t They Fixed the Cameras Yet? Using an internal monologue, she ruminates over an evening that would have been better spent elsewhere. Her workplace is a joke, she thinks. The security camera is still broken, the parking lot is known to be a dangerous place for women and how many women, exactly, need to get hurt before something is done?
Why Haven’t They Fixed the Cameras Yet? is a pithy little calling card, an economical yarn which manages – inside five minutes of running time – to play through some contemporary anxieties and concerns which many of us would recognise. But it manages a twist, too: the dismal workplace with its dismal colleagues is one thing, but just maybe all is not as it seems here, and the little about-face it performs is honestly pretty gruelling, adding a horror dimension and conclusion to an otherwise recognisable, relatable set of circumstances. As the first film by director Travis White, it’s a neat indicator of more to come.
Got a few minutes spare? You can take a look at the film here.