With The Short, “Borbulha “(Pimple), It’s Best to Not Say Pop Goes The World….

Fernando Alle’s Borbulha (Pimple) is a masterstroke in bringing the absurd to life. When this short film also delivers a courteous message about dealing with bullies, perhaps its strangest turn concerns the language used. Yes, He-Man would blush, but considering what happens, I feel this Adult Swim-style piece works.

Although this film feels like a compact demo reel highlighting what this Portuguese filmmaker loves most. It also reveals his fondness for creating campy, Troma-style examinations of life’s complexities. Or should I say Astron-6? Both comparisons work because what’s presented is so thoroughly old-school 80s that it reminds me of Weird Science.

Here, the story concerns Miúdo (Tiago Rodrigues) getting ready to head to class. He’s worried about what others will think of the massive pimple on his forehead. He’s painfully self-aware while standing in the washroom, and Rodrigues channels some of the discomfort an eight-year-old Harry Potter might have also felt.

Honestly, the comparison to Stephen King makes more sense because of the thick glasses Miúdo wears. What happens next should come as no surprise: he gets bullied. The three kids who mock him, played by António Chaves, João Miranda, and Dinis Lima, deserve their fate! I won’t spoil what happens, but I laughed at how well the old-school effects were executed and they deserve two massive thumbs up!

And when a giant figure appears from the melted remains, even I had to laugh. Eventually, I did wonder what toxic sludge the young boy may have accidentally wandered into. Usually, that kind of transformation requires some backstory, but here, none is needed.

When paired with the Fantasia Film Festival screening of Alice Maio Mackay’s Our Effed Up World, the match hardly feels like a case of strange bedfellows. After seeing this short, I’ll have to watch everything I can find on YouTube of Alle’s body of work. Fortunately, his best are accessible: There’s Papá Wrestling (2009), Banana Motherf****r (2011), and Mutant Blast. As a fan of splatterpunk, I suspect great things are in store….

4 Stars out of 5