The 2023 Nashville Film Festival continued with two feature films and a short film in Flora and Son, The Unraveling and Pear.

Flora and Son & The Unraveling Review

Pear Short Film Review

PEAR is 11 minutes long and followstwo sociopathic wellness experts who create a social media addiction rehab program that causes some participants to physically vanish. The film is co-written by and stars Madeline Mahoney & Peter Molesworth and is directed by Betsy Kenney. 

The first thing you notice when watching this is it has some similarities with The Menu. It has this dark-comedy aspect that is equally haunting as it is funny. The reality of social media overtaking people’s minds isn’t funny because it has caused mass chaos in society. However, Madeline Mahoney and Peter Molesworth perfectly balance that serious nature with some true comedic undertones. 

It’s layered so much that you wish you had more than eleven minutes. You could build this entire thing from the ground up within a feature film, from how the program started to watching people go through it and everything in between.

Overall, Pear is an absolute delight of a short film that leaves so much on the bone that you want more. It is easily one of the best short films of 2023. It’s a twisted yet deeply personal ride that will have you laughing and terrifying simultaneously—truly remarkable work.