Some films mourn death. ‘Relish Man’ mourns relish – and does it with more sincerity than most dramas could muster over a casket.
Daniel Young’s comedy opens with a slow-burn confrontation between Davis (Garrett McKenna) and his refrigerator-raiding neighbour, Braxel (Jake Ebright). The sacred jar of relish hits the floor, shatters, and the film launches into a spiral of grief, vengeance, and one of the most oddly touching tributes to a condiment you’ll ever witness.
You’d be mistaken to think this is a parody. It’s conviction turned absurd. Davis and his partner Marianna (Kate Ly Johnston) grieve like they’ve lost a child. And you believe them. You laugh, then question why you’re laughing, then laugh harder. That’s the brilliance of Edward Dorsey’s writing. The script is tight, weird, and fearless.
McKenna is the film’s centre of gravity. He plays Davis with total commitment – mourning, raging, plotting revenge like he’s in a Coen Brothers fever dream. The escalation is tense. And through it all, the production holds firm: Mauricio Cimino’s widescreen cinematography is unexpectedly pleasing to the eye – expect high quality production values here.
‘Relish Man’ is grief turned satire, satire turned opera. It’s about loss, but mostly it’s about how far people will go when the little things – things that feel like everything – get taken. Whatever it is, it’s brilliantly original. Funny, deranged, oddly moving. Highbrow treatment for a low-stakes disaster. Highly recommended.
