PremiumMatty Boy on Shortfundly - A man, his wealth, and the clash of ‘parasites’
Matty Boy is a short film that is hilarious and alarming. It is available to be streamed on Shortfundly in India.
Last Updated: 08.05 PM, May 07, 2024
Parasite introduced the world to the concept of the have-nots feeding off the haves while making the most of their uninformed nature because the world of the rich is so compressed into the confines of their luxury. Their access to the world that is levels below them is restricted out of choice, and that keeps them much guarded and far from the realities of the world. Although this theme wasn't new, the visual structure Bong Joon-Ho gave to the narrative was the winner. In the same year as Parasite was released, there was a short film making a massive buzz that brought in over 130 awards and recognition at the Cannes Film Festival, which spoke of people with lesser fortune trying to fool those with more. We are talking about Matty Boy/His Wives.
Matty Boy Plot
Matt (Vincent De Paul) is the quintessential rich middle-aged man with the charm, looks, and physique one would desire to have. His first proper visual in the movie is that of him emerging from his ‘personal’ in-house pool half-naked, only to cover his body with the most expensive-looking bathrobe. His wife Alice later tells him that she is about to die and he must get married to another woman so he is not left alone in life. He brings a second wife, only to realise that the first wife was misdiagnosed and she is not dying. But it's too late now. What follows is a hilarious turn of events as he now becomes addicted to getting married, and when the endgame unravels, you will be stunned.
Matty Boy Analysis
It is always an interesting thing to see how unhinged the rich are and how easy it is to fool most of them with the normal-day phenomena that the working class goes through every day. What is life for civilians is an adventure for the elite, and they could probably shoot their experience in our world and call it their ‘reality’ show. So when a rich man gets two wives for himself and is preparing to get a third one because his late grandfather (who is also the narrator) came to him in his dreams and told him to do so, you are looking at a full-grown rich superstitious man. And not just that, he is one who believes everything just falls into his lap and never questions the occurrence of things around him.
It is insane how writer-director Shahid Kamal, along with writer Samir Srivastava, looks at this trajectory with humour and sarcasm. It is like we have a window through which we see this drama unfold. He goes out, gets a new wife, and tells the existing ones to accommodate. For the wives, it is their job to be one, and there will come a day when they revolt, and they do. Here comes the Parasite reference because, in this dynamic, the wives are always the have-nots and the husband is the one exploiting them, even if he says he loves them both equally.
Shahid Kamal takes a look at this trajectory so hilariously that you will be left laughing every time Matt does something weird and is made to do it without him even second-guessing his move. What seals the deal is the climax, where, after having won it all, those who always dreamed of owning the luxury are now missing the person who used them as pawns. Who in this dynamic is exactly the parasite? Or is this the clash of parasites? Watch to decide.
Matty Boy, also known as His Wives, is available to stream on Shortfundly in India, and you can access it through your OTTplay Premium subscription. Stay tuned to OTTplay for more information on this and everything else in the world of streaming and films. Come back for almost daily recommendations.