Stationheads

“Trust us, you’ll enjoy it… (queue horse shit)”

Three educated (and bored) twenty-somethings are working a dead-end job in a gas station. Their futures are grim. When a group of bank robbers turn up fresh from a heist and fresh out of fuel, things get a bit more interesting.

Writer and director Stu Gamble brings us a finely tuned and totally unique comedy film that doesn’t hold back. It’s obscure, filthy and utterly hilarious in the best possible way. This feels like a trademark film from Gamble as it has a distinct voice and direction that stands apart from other short comedy films we’ve seen. It’s a perfect cocktail to get plenty of laughs and will grab audiences by the collar without letting go!

Gamble has an inventive story to begin with and injects a lot of character to every scene. The introduction to the film is great, giving you a clear indication of who is who and their own little quirks. It also quickly sets the tone of the film and what to expect. The characters are well written and have clear voices with a great dynamic, playing off each other exceedingly well. Gamble clearly understands the direction he wants to take this film and makes the most of every scene.

All of the cast are superb, every single one. Our main trio played by Lili Walters, David Miller and Zoltan Simon have great chemistry together and feel totally natural in their peculiar surroundings. The same can be said of the robbers who are an excellent stereotype of the typical gangster but far less threatening. Putting this group of people in the same scene was always going to result in some great material. The casting of Stationheads was on point! We also liked that Gamble portrayed one of the robbers himself and was certainly memorable in his own right.

What’s particularly interesting is the filming location (Hungary) as we doubt many would make the connection. It looks stunning and was clearly the perfect setting for the film as it captures the weirdness of the films tone. If it was a technical challenge to film there due to logistics then it was definitely worth it. The petrol station location also looks great and was used to maximum effect with plenty of great props thrown in.

Production wise the team did a great job as it looks and sounds like something you’d catch on broadcast TV. The location clearly offered many options with regards to camera angles as it doesn’t stay still for too long. This also has a lot to do with the great editing, music choice and use of motion graphics animation that amplifies the comedy aspect. We expect this was a real passion project as the direction and execution was so well done.

So if you’re looking for a fun, fast paced and irreverent comedy then Stu Gamble’ Stationheads is the one for you. Trust us, you’ll enjoy it… (queue horse shit)

— APEX Film Awards