Mommy Said So (2017) Short Film Review

Recently I reviewed Stephanie Hensley’s short film A Mother’s Choice and Momma’s Boy, two of the shorts from her upcoming anthology film A Mother Knows Best. A Mother’s Choice blew me away and left me emotionally devastated, so naturally I couldn’t wait to check out the rest of the shorts. Luckily for me, Stephanie was kind enough to let me preview the all three of them. Here is my review for Mommy Said So.

Mommy Said So was directed by Stephanie Hensley from a script by Chris Prather. The short film stars Landen Reeves, Brandon Prewitt (The Wicked One 2017), and Erin Butusov (Cinematic Reality 2018). The plot follows a young boy who is abused by his father and what happens when he can’t take it anymore, seeking the aid of his mother.

This short, while still carrying on the theme of motherhood, is a completely different beast than the first. A Mother’s Choice was a tale about obsession and left me feeling numb and exhausted by the end, while Mommy Said So is a supernatural revenge story that left me feeling overjoyed to see a douchebag get his comeuppance.

Brandon Prewitt is someone I am more familiar with as a filmmaker as opposed to an actor. He has written, directed or produced several shorts and features, including producing the indie slasher sensation The Wicked One. My first taste of his acting was in The Wicked One, where he played a humorous stripper obsessed security guard. His part in Mommy Said So couldn’t be more different. In this short, he plays an abusive and murderous asshole who blames every little thing on his young son and I personally couldn’t wait to see him die.

Erin Butusov plays the mother and after seeing her play a character in A Mother’s Choice who had to deal with so much pain and suffering, it was refreshing to see her dish out some punishment. Landen Reeves plays the abused son and he does so with attitude. He starts out kind of timid but the more he interacts with his mother, the stronger he becomes until things come to a head at the end and I swear he had a cocky smile on his face. My only complaint is that the father’s fate is mostly hinted at and I would have loved to have seen him suffer a bit more.

Final Thoughts

Mommy Said So is a fun little short with a rewarding payoff of seeing a bully get his long overdue just desserts. If you like to root for the little guy and like to see shitheads get what’s coming to them then I recommend you check out Mommy Said So when the A Mother Knows Best anthology is released at the end of May. You can pre-order your copy here.