An extra in a Kubrick film falls in love with an assistant director.


KUBRICK BY CANDLELIGHT is used with permission from David O'Reilly. Learn more at https://kubrickbycandlelight.com.


Paul is an extra in a film shooting in his sleepy Irish village. But this is no ordinary film -- it's the film classic BARRY LYNDON, directed by the legendary Stanley Kubrick. And true to the epic, troubled nature of the production, the behind-the-scenes is almost as dramatic as the story. Amid the outsized personalities and chaos (and an opinionated onscreen narrator), Paul falls in love with one of the assistant directors, Mary -- who is beautiful, English and out of his league.

Despite the seeming mismatch in their backgrounds, Paul pursues Mary. He manages to get her to agree to a rather quirky first date and the pair seem to connect. But the spirit of the film production keeps asserting itself, as does an entitled, snobbish romantic rival -- proving the course of romance doesn't run true, especially when it's inspired by Kubrick.

Directed and written by David O'Reilly, this short romantic comedy is full of plenty of quirky wit and charm, charting both the course of a thorny romance and paying cheeky tribute to a legendary filmmaker. Kubrick never filmed a romantic comedy, but the film wonders "what if" with verve, panache and commanding attention to visual detail. The result is a small cinematic delight, full of stunning visuals, ironic intelligence and pointed, understated humor.

True to its namesake inspiration, the look has a nostalgic lived-in charm, with the saturated, dusty colors of the 70s, richly baroque design and a shaggy, shambolic feel to the pacing and storytelling. The arc of the story is classic "girl meets boy" and their resulting courtship, which is full of fun but also significant obstacles. There's the social disparity between Paul and Mary that everyone from friends to the film's narrator loves to remind Paul of. A jealous rival for Mary's affections resorts to all kinds of machinations to keep Paul from his beloved. And the film production itself provides a constant source of distraction, from the village's shortage of candles to the hilariously temperamental costume designer to its erudite and unreliable narrator, voiced by the inimitable Succession actor Brian Cox.

Through it all, Paul and Mary enjoy one another's company, and their scenes together are funny and sweet, as Paul eagerly seeks to impress the elegant, hard-working English girl. We root for them, but eventually, the backdrop of a legendarily tumultuous film production proves to be too significant of an obstacle in KUBRICK BY CANDLELIGHT. Both the film and the romance end on a note that's both melancholy and ironic, and leaving a lasting impression that's as singular, impressive and skeptical as its namesake.