Arcade music and flashing lights cut through the title screen which displays Geronimo, alerting us straight away that the weird world of ‘amusements’ will figure here. But, it’s a film of contrasts, and we get that straight away, too. We first meet the arcade owner Peter (Ged McKenna) navigating his way through everyday life, which many would call a quiet life, but that’s just a turn of phrase: oh my, we’ve no sooner met this character, than we’re following him to the clinic for a prostate exam. His wife Linda (Eiry Thomas) is a snorer, too, and it’s taking a toll. Here’s a man who is stressed, worried, and very, very tired. But is there more to his plight than lengthy trips to the littlest room, and a partner who snores?
It turns out that Peter gladly takes the opportunity to complain about his lot to the doctor (Paterson Joseph), just as he’s about to perform the prostate check. Perhaps needs must? Or, being about to expose himself quite literally, Peter decides to go all in? Whatever the thought process behind it, it transpires that Peter has another problem: Geronimo (Gwen Ellis). Or at least, that’s what he calls a problematic regular customer at the arcade, a woman happily gambling away the money formally belonging to her ex-husband (and lottery winner). Peter says that Geronimo wins her money back with interest by seemingly being able to select a machine – every full moon, funnily enough – then clearing it out. That would be weird enough, but he’s also plagued with dreams in which Geronimo appears at night, a little like the imp in Fuseli’s most famous painting. There’s one key difference: she always appears speaking Welsh.
Is this Welsh-speaking, lucky widow real, or simply part of a nightmare? The doc thinks not; Peter is on the fence, because after all – who really knows what Geronimo can do? If she has a sixth sense for emptying his machines of cash, then anything is possible. He even ponders momentarily if she could get through the cat flap. The doctor avers that this is simply a good old fashioned case of hypnogogic hallucination, often caused by falling asleep too quickly (fat chance, Peter seems to think), and there’s an app for that (of course there is). He recommends something called Erebus, and it’s probably best not to ruminate too long on the meaning of that name, but by all means look it up, if you like.
Peter downloads Erebus onto his phone. He’s dubious, sure: it seems tantamount to being read a bedtime story, which feels like adding insult to injury, but he sees it through and quickly falls asleep. Restful? Fat chance. Peter immediately finds himself at the arcade, which is the source of his stress in the first place, and – here she is, here’s Geronimo, striding into his business to ruin it.
This is a very colourful and aural nightmare, full of the gaudy lighting and rather overwhelming sounds of an amusement arcade, places which often feel like they’re holding out against change and modernity, or at least slowing it down considerably. Things quite quickly get unsavoury, too, with little hints or glimpses at aspects of Peter’s nightmare that he’d probably rather not discuss with a medical professional. That may turn out to be a pointless line in the sand, by the by, as the doctor is here in the dream, too, armed with a phrasebook which he uses to partly translate Geronimo’s distinctly unfriendly comments.
The use of Welsh, translated or otherwise, is interesting here: it falls into line with a fair few old stereotypes: there’s long been the idea that Welsh speakers just speak Welsh to lock out monoglot English speakers, just as Geronimo is doing here – as she’s bilingual, and readily speaks English at the counter when she needs something. Of course, this all ties in with Peter’s paranoia very nicely and – they say familiarity breeds contempt! – he’s a Scouser, too. The use of Welsh, or simply the unfolding situation leaves us to wonder how much of all this is or isn’t his delusion. Added to this, the way in which the film embeds its dialogue in bingo calls is clever, too, albeit calling to mind The League of Gentlemen’s Toddy’s Bingo to an extent. Here, Peter’s occupational anxieties turn the arcade into a very overwhelming place, using the horror staple of the full moon to escalate the nightmarish, and yes, hellish aspects further.
These nightmarish aspects suddenly give way – neatly and succinctly – to something far queasier. All the way through, we’ve had contrast between the arcade and the magnolia tones of home, or the doctor’s surgery: the bland, if familiar, workaday world. Well, the ending of Geronimo suddenly and literally darkens, giving the audience a sudden wake-up call which matches Peter’s, who wakes up disorientated and alone. Through the tail end of his bad dream, we are finally able to ascertain what has been going on here, and it closes this short film on a clever, if jarring note. It all goes to show, once more, how much can be done in just a few minutes; appearing as part of the Beacons Ffilm Cymru showcase (available on BBC iPlayer), Geronimo does a great job of balancing its elements and telling a surprisingly rich and engaging, darkly comic horror story.