Rhode Island International Film Festival 2009

Set in a sleepy suburban town, "Parental Control" is a quirky five minute comedy about a mischievous young boy who attempts to control his parents via a computer. Starring Jake Pratt, Nick Von Schlippe and Wendy Clark, it is mostly non dialogue and focuses on the journey and mystery of what the boy is up to and whether he can get away with it!The story starts with the father (Von Schlippe) mowing the lawn on a rather dull looking day, much to the annoyance of the mother (Clark) who reprimands him. Their young son (Jake Pratt) arrives home from school and takes advantage of this to hide behind the family car and unplug the mower before disappearing around the back of the house. The mother then also leaves exasperated as the father tries in vain to restart the mower.Moving around the back of the house, the boy sneaks under the back window and into the house via the back door, putting his ruck sack to one side. Arriving at the hallway he narrowly avoids his mother, who has moved to do the washing up.Scuttling to the bottom of the stairwell, he waits.He waits for his father to plug the mower back in, the noise covering his creaky footsteps as he ascends the stairs to the upper floor of the house. Arriving at the top of the stairs, he sees that there is a note on his bedroom door which reads "CLEAN YOUR ROOM!!". Snatching it petulantly, he smiles cheekily back down the stairs and makes his way into the parents study and to their computer, carefully checking he has not been followed as he shuts the door. Turning the computer on and inserting the CD, he follows the on screen prompts before being asked to put in a command of his own. Looking down at the note, he types:"MUM CLEAN MY ROOM"He leans back and crosses his fingers in hope. Nothing. Then suddenly, he hears the sound of a hoover coming from the direction of is room. Not quite believing his luck, he tries to think of something else but can't seem to think of anything fitting. Then after a minor light bulb moment, he types frantically on the keyboard and jumps off his chair, running into the hallway excitedly and entering the bathroom.Once in the bathroom, he leaps onto the toilet seat and on tip toes, peers out of the window to see his father fixing his bike. Realising a second wish has been granted, he jumps down, allowing himself a little celebratory dance before running back to the study.Back inside, he sits down and tries to get his breath back. He then thinks long and hard about what to write. He then smiles and types "DOUBLE MY POCKET MONEY" before deleting...he then writes "TRIPLE MY POCKET MONEY". Smiling devilishly, he raises his finger like a wand as the light around him dims, commanding the whole world as he prepares to punch the "ENTER" key. As his finger reaches the point, his mother appears from nowhere and whispers slowly "Don't Push It..." before drawing the curtains. Disgruntled, the boy mumbles under his breath realising he has been rumbled. He then notices another figure in the doorway and turns to see the huge oily fingers of his father drumming aganst the doorway. The film credits appear as the boy struggles to mow the lawn under his fathers instruction. He pleads desperately for it to end and his father ushers him inside. His mother then appears carrying a hoover...