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Independent Shorts Awards is thrilled to name Spare!, a French crime-comedy short written and directed by Jules Cales and Balthazar Ullmann, as Best Short of the Season for September 2025.
Crafted with humor, heart, and a delightful streak of absurdity, this 34-minute film is a triumph of creative chemistry—turning mayhem into pure entertainment and proving that bold vision remains the driving force of short-form storytelling.
The Set-Up: Two Henchmen, a Box of Cash, and Chaos
In the wooded outskirts of rural France, two inept Mafia henchmen—Phil and Barney—set out to bury a corpse. Instead, they dig up a box full of cash. What begins as a simple errand quickly unravels into a night of reckless spending, poor decisions, and escalating disaster.
Rather than a slick gangster tale, Spare! spotlights the “magnificent losers”—as its creators call them—who dream too big, act before thinking, and somehow keep going. The film blends the tropes of a crime thriller (buried bodies, shady deals) with buddy-comedy absurdity and a distinctly rural French atmosphere. Fast-cut flashbacks, fleeting glimpses of violence, and a “coked-up” editing style give it kinetic energy, while the sincerity of its characters anchors the chaos with warmth and humanity.
Filmmakers with a Shared Vision
Jules Cales and Balthazar Ullmann first met while studying at ESEC, drawn together by their fascination with eccentric characters and absurd situations. Their early collaboration, Serge Peloche—a parody of 1940s film noir—introduced the prototype for their odd-couple duo: Phil (then “Philou”) and Barney.
After graduation, Ullmann pursued advanced training at the Vancouver Film School, directing Once a Boy, while Cales worked on French film sets as a script supervisor and assistant director. Reuniting after a few years, they set out to bring their most ambitious project to life.
“Spare! was born from our love for imperfect characters—the kind of losers who always dream too big, get themselves into improbable situations, but refuse to give up. We wanted audiences to leave the theatre with a smile on their face, wondering how two such hopeless guys actually managed to make it through.”
They cite the Coen Brothers’ offbeat duos, ’90s buddy comedies, and the French TV series Strip-Tease—with its absurd yet compassionate look at ordinary people—as key inspirations. This blend of sincerity, humor, and stylized energy defines Spare!’s distinctive voice.
Cast & Supporting Players
At the heart of Spare! are Franc Bruneau as Phil and Mickaël Etrillard as Barney, an irresistible double act whose chemistry fuels the story. Bruneau—known for Ad Vitam (2018) and The Last Journey of Paul W.R. (2020)—brings weary charm and a touch of fatal optimism to Phil’s hapless determination. Etrillard, recognized for Merrick (2018), matches him with jittery intensity and unexpected tenderness, shaping a partnership as funny as it is fragile.
Adding depth to the ensemble are Dominique Frot, Alix Bénézech, and Nicolas Briançon, among others, each lending seasoned credibility to the chaotic world the film inhabits. Frot—seen in Titane (2021) and the animated Louise by the Shore (2016)—adds gravitas even in moments of pure absurdity. Bénézech, whose credits include Fractures (2017) and Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018), infuses scenes with modern flair, while Briançon, a veteran of French theatre and cinema, provides quiet authority.
Together, this ensemble turns Spare! from a simple caper into a lively, character-driven ride. Their interplay not only amplifies the humor but gives the story surprising emotional weight.
Why This Film Stood Out
Spare! impressed the jury with its balance of comedy, character, and craft. From the filmmakers’ own declaration that they wanted “imperfect characters… the kind of losers who always dream too big,” the film delivers precisely that: two misfits who act without thinking, dream without a plan, and somehow keep moving forward.
Visually, the film embraces a fast, rhythmic edit—echoing stylized gangster cinema—but trades the genre’s urban sleekness for muddy rural roads, cheap motels, and ill-timed luck. The result is a fresh inversion of the crime narrative: a French countryside crime story with the pulse of a big-city thriller and the charm of an offbeat comedy.
The balance between foolishness and sincerity is where Spare! truly shines. Viewers laugh at Phil and Barney’s bungles but can’t help caring for them. They’re not hardened criminals or mere clowns—they’re misguided dreamers whose humanity makes their chaos oddly endearing.
Finally, for a short film produced on a budget of roughly €125,000, Spare! demonstrates striking ambition—its sharp editing, diverse locations, and ensemble cast all serving a cohesive, energetic vision. It doesn’t aspire to blockbuster scale, yet it plays with cinematic confidence and heart.
A film that lingers—not just for its humor, but for the bittersweet charm of two men who can’t help digging themselves deeper.
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