Disney Plus has a surprising large library of excellent short movies and Alasdair’s been making his way through them. Today, he’s here to talk about A Better You.

In a dystopian steampunk world, Douglas (Seán T. Ó Meallaigh) is a shy young man working an office job and quietly pining over Olga (Hannah Mamalis), his equally shy colleague. A Better You has changed the world. A biological clone you can pilot and customise, A Better You gives you the chance to be the person you always wanted to be. But when Douglas gets one, will he finally ask Olga out?

Yes of course he will. The point of Eamonn Murphy’s very sweet short movie is not ‘Will they or won’t they?’ it’s ‘they’ll be alright, right?’ and of course they will. The journey’s the point and Murphy does a vast amount with very little. The chiselled perfection of A Better You is also callous and vain, and the conflict between Douglas’ sweet, honest uncertainty and the expectations of the world is instant. The dystopia here is all pervasive and familiar, the Haves deciding to throw the Have-Nots a bone for the night. Douglas’ discomfort comes from the fact he can see everything for what it is, as well as where he sits in the equation.

Ó Meallaigh is superb as Douglas, finding sincerity and awkward honesty in a role that could have been stereotypical. He’s even better as Douglas’ A Better You, a suave, debonair figure who is as much a big brother as he is a mirror mage. When the twist hits, and you both do and don’t see it coming, Ó Meallaigh is even better then and the final scene, with Mamalis’ Olga is a sincere, touching, almost silent moment of two people conspiring together to be okay. I loved it.

If you’re feeling churlish you could say Mamalis isn’t given enough to do here, and that’s fair, she’s very good. But the focus, tone and nature of the piece is so pure it really would be churlish.

Verdict: This is a delight that’ll take you a cup of coffee to watch. Treat yourself. 8/10

Alasdair Stuart

 

A Better You is on Disney Plus