What do we get when the role reversal of objectification takes place? Trophies, the short film written by and starring Brian McDaniel, directed by his wife Angelica Rosas McDaniel.
The film Trophies follows the pains of McDaniels’ character Freddy, as the “trophy husband” of boss-lady Amanda Kara. Portrayed as a loving and down-to-earth character, Freddy must live up to Amanda’s standards from the moment the couple open their eyes in bed. The first sequence of the film features Amanda throwing a fit over the temperature of the hardwood floor, blaming it on Freddy for not setting the controls right on the timer of the heated floors, after all, she’s paid for heated floors! And of course, the towels aren’t warm either. Oh, and a small piece of eggshell on the avocado and egg spread for breakfast…absolute tragedy. It’s all relative isn’t it? First world privilege—first world problems make for good comedy.
The casting for Trophies is on point, with Paul Rodriguez as the headliner. His short stint as the comedically narcissistic character of Allen, Amanda’s friend, helps drive the plot forward by setting up his trophy wife Mila as the messenger to let Freddy know that he needs to lose a few pounds to keep Amanda satisfied. All performances are natural and fit the bill for the comedy set primarily in a beautiful California up-scale home. Kristina Emerson’s raucous portrayal of Mila is a force in the film as she helps Freddy overcome his fear of losing the privileges that come with being a trophy husband. It’s an interesting contrast and comparison between the two characters— one is a trophy wife and the other a trophy husband. Does she see a bit of herself in him? Do Freddy’s anxieties transfer over to her character’s? That’s for us to decide.
As part of the conflict, coincidentally or not, Freddy’s bank account is frozen and a realtor arrives at the door to do an appraisal for the property. This is smart on McDaniel the writer’s part, as it signifies the lack of security for Freddy’s character. Over the smallest of details, such as an extra ten pounds on the belly or “cold” floors of the bedroom, he is in a constant state of great uncertainty that is circumstantial to what many may consider minuscule trifles. The choice for having Mila help navigate Freddy through the day’s turmoil symbolizes a passing of the torch, as the power dynamics in heteronormative relationships appear to shift and balance on an equilibrium between men and women. Mila’s experience as a trophy wife and her wisdom play a key role in bringing Freddy to his wits, constantly reminding him that being a trophy spouse is more than being a loving partner, it is a full time job requiring attention to detail and meticulous self-care to keep their spouse satisfied, right down to hardly noticeable shoulder hair. The inclusion of Mila’s brother Cali performed by Ryan March is a nice choice as he represents the expected physique and mindset of a trophy husband Mila pushes Freddy to take on. Kudos to March for his comedic snippets and jovial portrayal of the typical California six-packed stud who flows wherever the wind takes him.
Even after chaos returns to order on this day, Freddy is left somewhat powerless over the ongoings of what happens to their property as it is Amanda who is the decision maker, without much consultation and opinions from Freddy. McDaniels does a wonderful job of portraying Freddy as quirky and easily likeable, without putting too much weight on the characteristic of being a push-over without any control and much agency.
One way to tell whether a film is good is its ability to keep all eyes on deck throughout. Trophies benefits from beautiful set designs that play well into the theme of materialism, paired with smooth and playful transitions which speak of tasteful and seamless direction. The film is mostly shot in bright daylight featuring beautiful colours to really bring home the California sun and lifestyle on the screen, and the music is fittingly paired with the transitions to depict the upbeat livelihood of the drama on hand. The film is a great gateway to take a break from your day-to-day without investing too much of your time to get a kick out of its comedy. Frame by frame, it is worth its value for it does what it’s intended to do, make us laugh.
By: Darida Rose
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