Hunting Comfort in a Confined Place

Read Time:5 Minute, 6 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Al fresco
–

Genre: Comedy
Year Released: 2024
Runtime: 8m
Director(s): Ignacio Rodó
Writer(s): Ignacio Rodó, Roc Esquius
Cast: Roc Esquius, Marc Pujol
Where to Watch: shown at the 2025 Art Is Alive Film Festival

RAVING REVIEW: The setup is simple enough to feel familiar: someone steps into an apartment aiming to solve a problem, calm a fear, and mark the beginning of something. But AL FRESCO uses that familiar situation to pull you into something uncomfortable. It takes the promise of a dream and turns it into a compact study of how pressure, hope, and anxiety collide when you’re chasing stability you can’t quite grasp. This isn’t a story that aims for emotional sweep or complex structure. Instead, it’s a tightly controlled short that leans into its limitations and finds a strangely honest tension within them.

Director/co-writer Ignacio Rodó, across his short films, plays with form the way some directors play with spectacle, and AL FRESCO fits into that pattern. At just eight minutes, the film doesn’t try to disguise what it is: a single situation captured with intention, designed to provoke more reflection than narrative. Rodó builds his shorts like puzzles, with the corners visible from the start, but the image in the middle shifts as the viewer realizes they’re assembling something symbolic rather than literal. That sensibility fuels AL FRESCO, keeping the experience focused.

The short uses one location and a straightforward premise, though what happens within that room is anything but straightforward. Rodó and co-writer Roc Esquius lean on physicality, timing, and escalating discomfort rather than exposition. This is where AL FRESCO hits home. The film wastes nothing—every second matters. Whether the moment is funny, unsettling, or outright awkward, the execution stays controlled. You can feel the intentionality behind each movement, each choice, each hesitation. It creates the sense that a situation is spiraling, even when little appears to be happening on the surface.

There’s also a clear vision rooted in real pressures that quietly shape life. Housing stress is universal, and Rodó captures that anxiety by heightening it rather than grounding it. The apartment isn’t a place to evaluate — it becomes an opponent, a metaphor, a mirror of what people instinctively fear when trying to improve their lives. The framing, the controlled staging, and the gradually shifting tone all contribute to that feeling. It’s a subtle critique wrapped in dark comedy, sharpened by the format. Nothing is wasted, and nothing is overstated.

Roc Esquius and Marc Pujol play their roles with an awareness of the tone without slipping into parody. Their performances rely on restraint rather than the lightness that it could be, letting the situation — not the actors — drive the humor. In a piece this short, overacting could easily collapse the tension, but they avoid it. Their work grounds the elements, making the strange feel just plausible enough to be uncomfortable. It’s a strategic choice that elevates the film beyond a surface-level “funny short” and gives it more weight.

Where AL FRESCO struggles is in the same place many concept-driven shorts do: its impact is fleeting. It makes its point, executes its idea, and exits before it fully settles. That’s not inherently a flaw, but it does limit how deeply the film can sit with you after its final moment. You appreciate the craft and understand what Rodó is aiming for, but the experience remains conceptual rather than emotional.

The film intentionally sits between tones, which creates tension but also a slight disconnect. When the comedic elements take over, they risk diverting attention from the underlying commentary. When the tension builds too heavily, the humor can feel like a detour rather than a complement. The push and pull are compelling but not always cohesive. Within an eight-minute window, the film maintains more control than many shorts with twice its runtime.

The short ultimately functions as a compact pressure cooker. It doesn’t try to be expansive, but rather artistically efficient. Its strength lies in how confidently it delivers its central conceit. The viewer is left with a quick impression — the kind that doesn’t require deep explanation but still taps into something recognizable about modern anxieties.

This makes the film easy to admire and mildly frustrating at the same time. There’s no question that Rodó knows exactly what he’s doing, but the film’s design naturally limits how emotionally or narratively layered it can be. Still, for a short with a clear concept and confident direction, AL FRESCO delivers what it promises: a moment of cleverly packaged discomfort, shaped into a small, polished experience that holds viewers just long enough to make an impression.

Please visit https://linktr.ee/overlyhonestr for more reviews.

You can follow me on Letterboxd, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. My social media accounts can also be found on most platforms by searching for 'Overly Honest Reviews'.

I’m always happy to hear from my readers; please don't hesitate to say hello or send me any questions about movies.

[photo courtesy of ASTROLABI FILMS, CELOFÁN AUDIOVISUAL, EFE PUNTO, EFE PUNTO]

DISCLAIMER:
At Overly Honest Movie Reviews, we value honesty and transparency. Occasionally, we receive complimentary items for review, including DVDs, Blu-rays, CDs, Vinyl Records, Books, and more. We assure you that these arrangements do not influence our reviews, as we are committed to providing unbiased and sincere evaluations. We aim to help you make informed entertainment choices regardless of our relationship with distributors or producers.

Amazon Affiliate Links:
Additionally, this site contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may receive a commission. This affiliate arrangement does not affect our commitment to honest reviews and helps support our site. We appreciate your trust and support as you navigate these links.