Service Charge (2022)

Housekeeping an actress

Service Charge is a short web series filmed in a single location starring a couple of actresses and with a very limited budget. But this series also goes to prove that the money is not what is the most important: how you tell the story and the story you tell are what make this and some other independent producers' short movies/series worth the watch and the praise! Creativity not the money!

The story is sweet: Lily comes to work as a housekeeper for Belle an actress. At first she is unpleasantly surprised with Belle's rude behaviour and harsh words until she realizes that Belle needs her to help her practice her lines and that those rude words were just a part of the script. When Belle needs to practice a kissing scene, Lily refuses at first but then changes her mind and things develop quickly from there.

Lily is a proud girl with a long family tradition of high class housekeepers. Belle is an actress with her quirks and unusual demands, a bit what we imagine a well known actress would behave and act. A match made in heaven!

The series is 15 min long and they managed to tell a full story in those 15 min! The girls have good chemistry and are sweet together. It is a short love story though some might find it confusing: where is the border between the script reading and reality. Or are they using the script reading as a means to an end: getting together, using it to help them express their feelings.

The set looks really cheap and cold: a hotel room is like that I guess. The make up on Lily is awful: that lipstick should be banned from production! The terrible elevator music helps keep the sensation of low budget present. But still, it is a cute short watch

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