Article #2: Ramekin Review!

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Ramekin is the new film from Cody Clarke that revolves around a tiny bowl that controls a college girl’s life. It’s a horror-comedy that is deadpan on both ends of the scale without ever tipping too far in either direction. Clarke’s steady hand, in more ways than one, in conjuction with Jamie Saunders’ lead performance makes this short feature funny, scary, and positive sign of things to come from both of them.

This couldn’t have been an easy film to create. It’s even riskier to have to rely so heavily on your lead actor. However, it’s Jamie Saunders that keeps this film alive. While not all of the performers worked for me, she did. She had the most difficult task, making me believe that a little ramekin, for which the film is named, was not only a sadistic and mischievous being, but communicating with her and acting opposite her. It reminds me of the recently released Netflix film, The Titan. Vastly different films in subject matter and just about everything else, but the biggest strengths for each are their leading actors’ abilities to convince the viewer that the cooking implement (Ramekin) and creature (The Titan) opposite them are real and alive.

The premise for Ramekin is a silly one. It invokes laughter from the first time that Emily addresses the tiny bowl and asks it questions. That is, until the bowl moves. At that point, the film could have taken its hard turn into horror, creating an aura of mystery and suspense around the ramekin. Cody Clarke, the writer and director of the film, opts for retaining the humor, much to the benefit of the film. As we become more and more invested in the relationship between Emily and the ramekin, the dynamic shifts wildly, from the apologetic cupcakes to the sympathetic money for food to the blissful music that the ramekin produces, attaching itself to Emily’s ear like a conch shell. Again, the success comes from how easily Jamie Saunders convinces us in her mannerisms and responses that this little bowl is not only capable of answering a ‘yes or no’ question, but convincing Emily that she isn’t able to leave the apartment she has inherited from her recently deceased grandmother.

Outside of the narrative and performance work, the next thing that really struck me about the film was the sound. The ramekin scraping against a table or shelf needs to sound ominous, but reassuring, which it does. However, the plodding of feet on the floor, eating, and a knife cutting through the air are all prominent elements of the sound design that reinforce the bizarre atmosphere Clarke creates. Adding to the bizarre qualities is the stationary camera. It doesn’t follow Emily or the ramekin when they move; it doesn’t pan when we switch perspectives. We’re presented with a clean and unfiltered look at what is really happening. This opens the film up and also hides the “director” presence that would have made the situation a lot less solitary for Emily.

There are a lot of strengths in the film that foretell even better things to come from Cody Clarke. On the other side of the coin, the acting outside of Saunders comes off a little strained and forced. Some of the writing for the other characters didn’t always feel as natural as it was with Emily. However, most of the issues can likely be traced back to the budget. The film was reportedly made for a few hundred dollars which doesn’t exactly allow for the most leeway in terms of time and resources. The film’s narrative doesn’t suffer due to these restraints, but there’s a noticeable difference anytime another character enters the frame.

Ultimately, Ramekin is a concise horror film that utilizes dry humor to mitigate the ridiculousness of the premise. Anchored by Jamie Saunders’ performance, the film succeeds by treating its premise with respect and approaching it from a real perspective.

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