PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Money doesn’t solve all problems. Shocking, I know. In the short film Don’t Be A Hero, belittled and lonely Lizzy Jo takes out her frustrations on the hand the world has dealt her by robbing banks. Because hell, everybody needs a hobby.
https://vimeo.com/245447941
Don’t Be A Hero Synopsis:
A middle-aged woman battles her loneliness and boredom by robbing banks in the guise of a cowboy on her lunch break. But after the adrenaline rush wears off, she still has to deal with her deeply unhappy life. Inspired by a true story.
Coming in at just under 15 minutes, Don’t Be A Hero was written, edited and directed by Pete Lee (Rope A Dope 2013), who also had a hand in composing and singing a few of the songs on the soundtrack. The short stars none other than Missi Pyle (Director’s Cut 2018, Galaxy Quest 1999) along with Lew Temple (The Walking Dead TV series), Ashley Spillers (Last Vegas 2013), Anne Gee Byrd (8MM 1999), Hojo Shin (The Thundermans 2013) and Link Ruiz (Ray Donovan TV series).
Don’t Be A Hero starts off with a sunglasses-wearing, mustachioed, mutton-chopped, beer gut-toting cowboy walking into a bank and sliding a note across the counter to teller Samantha (Spillers), who immediately smiles and apologizes because she can’t read the handwriting. The cowboy awkwardly rewrites the message, and when Samantha finally reads it, her face falls. The note explains that this is a robbery, and that the bandit is not only threatening to kill her if she says anything, but actually knows her name. The young woman stuffs an envelope full of cash and the robber leaves. During the getaway, the cowboy strips away the hat, sunglasses, wig, jacket, mustache and sideburns to reveal a thin, mousy woman named Lizzy Jo (Pyle), who smiles at herself in the rearview mirror as the sound of police sirens whoop behind her.
I’m going to start by saying that I loved Don’t Be A Hero. There was so much going on in these 15 minutes. The exhilaration and excitement of a successful bank robbery is quickly tempered by Lizzy Jo’s mundane job, her nosy, no-shirt-wearing, ice cream-chomping mom (Byrd) and her dickhead boyfriend, Howard (Temple), who takes nothing Lizzy Jo says seriously. I felt like I was suffocating right along her as the her mother leaned in too close, getting in Lizzy Jo’s space and talking about listening to her private messages on the answering machine from Howard. I could feel the walls rise around me as she drowned in the piles of stuff surrounding her at work. And I could sense her back down once again as Howard told her to get herself home, even after he completely blew her off for the night.
Her only excitement is hers and hers alone… the thrill of robbing banks. She doesn’t even do it for the money. She does it for the control and charge she gets from the act itself so she can forget about her dead-end life for even ten minutes of time. It’s tragic and uplifting, all at once.
I also have to mention the music from Don’t Be A Hero. Music Coordinator Scott McDowell did a fantastic job with the soundtrack, especially with the inclusion of “La Fête Noire” by Flavian Gerber. What a great song to play during Lizzy Jo’s secret adventures. Like I mentioned before, the director himself was involved with performing songs on the soundtrack, which I thought was incredibly cool. I was also impressed with how well Lee portrayed the smothering, constricting feel of being poor and out of options. There was nothing glossed over here. Every crack and wrinkle was exposed. No one had to tell me that Lizzy Jo was downtrodden and lonely. I could see it in each piece of particleboard furniture and every knowing glance from the people around her. She had nothing going for her and no one to come to her rescue. So she rescued herself.
I can safely say that, so far, Don’t Be A Hero is one of my favorite shorts of 2018. I know that the story was based on a real woman, and I’m dying to find out more about her. This was one of 68 other short films selected for last year’s Sundance Film Festival, and I can see why. As soon as I’m done with this write-up, I’m going to hunt down more of Pete Lee’s work. If you get the chance, check this short out. You’ll be glad you did.
