Fairy Floss
35m
Housemates and friends, Jacob and Savanna, interview a bevy of outlandish characters for a room in their shared house. “Fairy Floss,” directed by Harry Quinlan, is an eight part Australian comedy series (presented here in one piece) which delves into a day long ordeal to find a new roommate. The first applicant seems to be enmeshed in some sort of kidnapping plot involving her boyfriend, but she speaks so quickly it’s hard to decipher exactly what’s going on. After spending ten minutes in the bathroom, the next contender, a keyed-up man in a suit who describes himself as “casual” offers up a disgusting story involving an oven and an act of defecation (thus the need for a new place to live). Then, a sham witch, a jilted ex-lover, and a peculiar, wine-guzzling woman dressed for the murder mystery party she’s attending next, vie for the open room with little success. When an interviewee late in the day, a dazed young man currently testing the safety of drugs for a pharmaceutical company loses his ability to speak, the process turns into a hectic emergency, complicated by a commandeering Italian DJ. At the center are the low-key Savanna and Jacob — endearing, understated performances from Madelyn Sheahan and Jesse Bouma — just looking for a nice, quiet roommate. A series of questions in a hat (i.e. “nice or interesting?”) are meant as a fun way to get to know the room-seekers but rarely reveal a straight answer, until the end at least, when it may be too late.