By Valerie Milano
Palm Springs, CA (The Hollywood Times) 6/26/25 – “It has a lot of fairy-tale energy… a cautionary tale,” explained co-director Jerzy Rose, when asked to place The Bride’s Curse within Palm Springs ShortFest’s “Parables, Fantasies, & Fables” thematic block. And indeed, that’s exactly where these shorts land—right in the sweet spot between fable and farce.
“We threw out half-baked ideas,” co-director Alex Kavutskiy recalled. “And ‘a curse’ was one. We both got excited about making a whispery bedroom thing—something starting with a whispered bedroom scene.”
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That whispery scene—intimate and oddly chilling—sets the tone. What follows is a sparse but rich narrative that feels as if it could have come from an old fairy tale if the Brothers Grimm had watched Fleabag. Kavutskiy, whose past credits include Michael Bolton’s Big, Sexy Valentine’s Day Special, brings his signature deadpan touch. The writing, co-penned with Rose, is deceptively simple, leaving space for viewers to interpret what’s literal and what’s lore.
“We had a lot of fun building this project from a hard moral stance,” said Kavutskiy. “There’s really room for interpretation.”
Room for interpretation, yes—but also room for laughter. The film never gets bogged down in its own mythos, instead leaning into the absurd with a straight face. The performances are grounded yet surreal, especially the bride, who navigates her unraveling reality with the grace of someone who’s too polite to scream but deeply aware that something’s gone terribly wrong.
“It’s played with a lot of sincerity but has a ridiculous premise,” said Rose. “The block isn’t about tone—it’s about theme—so we’re thrilled to be among other stories that play with mythology in different ways.”
And yet, for all its humor and stylish execution, The Bride’s Curse also has a beating heart. Beneath the dry wit and eerie stillness lies a reflection on modern love, ritual, and the invisible contracts we sign when we say, “I do.” It’s funny, but it’s also unsettling—like a toast that curdles halfway through.
“It was a lovely reminder of why we make films,” said Kavutskiy, recounting a moment when he sprinted to a nearby restaurant to steal a fork for O-Lan Jones, the short’s legendary guest star. “All these great people doing it for love, for no money.”
There’s heart in this production, even as it playfully dissects what hearts pledge to one another. The Bride’s Curse doesn’t aim to shock—it aims to whisper its unease until you feel it in your bones. That it also earns laughs along the way is just part of its particular charm.
“I think Jesus would support our message against lying,” joked Rose, after a thoughtful discussion on whether their story qualified more as a fable or a parable. Call it what you will—this short has moral weight, mythic trimmings, and a wicked sense of humor.
Verdict: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Smart, sharp, and unsettling in the best way, The Bride’s Curse turns the wedding aisle into a path lined with thorns. A must-watch for fans of morally murky storytelling with a supernatural sting.
Catch it Saturday at Palm Springs ShortFest under the “Parables, Fantasies, & Fables” block. It’s family-friendly, twisted in tone, and deeply entertaining—a reminder that love stories aren’t always what they seem.
