Short Film Review: Celina Bernstein Rages Against The Male Machine In Sofie Somoroff's "Ride Baby Ride"
After an unbearably creepy negotiation with some skeevy car guys, a mechanic has to fight off a demonic monster inhabiting her dream 1978 Camaro.
If you took the car fetish from Julia Ducourna’s TITANE, made it non-consensual, combined it with the possessed car of John Carpenter’s Christine, and added a splash of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead for good measure, you’d have something close to Sofie Somoroff’s latest short, Ride Baby Ride. It’s a revved up 7 minutes of well-executed horror cinema that seeks to unscrew the male mechanics of the rape-revenge film, adding a female empowerment angle in line with Abel Ferrara’s Ms. 45 or Coralie Fageat’s Revenge, albeit in its own cool and unique way.
The film follows Celina Bernstein who plays a young mechanic trying to find her way in a male-dominated field. Shortly after acquiring a ‘78 Camaro from a couple of pervy geezers, who go out of their way to make her feel belittled, uncomfortable, and sexualized when she attempts to negotiate a price (something they certainly wouldn’t do if she were male), she finds herself squaring up against the lusty desires of something even more sinister and supernatural: the car itself. The ensuing struggle is one of woman against machine, and its speedy well-paced ride provides more than surface-level thrills.
Ride Baby Ride is a film that works best metaphorically and symbolically, as there’s a lot to unpack under the hood of this well-oiled machine. The choice to sub in a muscle car in place of the typical male violator is a clever choice, as it’s an object that is often associated with maleness. The simple addition of the car makes Bernstein’s fight for survival an even bigger one; she’s not just striking back against the misogyny of a few bad eggs, she’s taking on the entire machinery of female objectification in all its assumed forms — and she’s dismantling the whole damn thing. One could even see parallels to the female struggle within the largely male-dominated film industry as a potential alternate reading.
The female driving force of the short doesn’t just stop with its narrative either; it radiates throughout the production, which consists of mostly female talent on both sides of the camera. Sam Fox (of Fck’n Nuts notoriety) served as a producer on the project (alongside Ruby Fludzinski, Somoroff, and Bernstein), with cinematography from Gemma Doll-Grossman, editing by Beth Cohon, and music by Elenna Sindler. Bernstein leads the charge, delivering a committed performance that makes her journey visceral and cathartic, but Somoroff is cool and assured behind the wheel, making choices that build atmospheric dread and buckle the viewer into the mechanic’s nightmarish journey. Doll-Grossman’s lush visuals give the film a strong style and make its experience easy on the eyes (even when the mechanic’s struggle becomes real). Cohon’s editing gives everything a nice glide, ensuring for a smooth ride (despite the bumps in the road the mechanic must face), while Sindler’s compositions help to create a thoroughly eerie soundscape.
When the exhaust clears, what you’re left with is a thrilling horror short whose gas tank isn’t emptied after its credits roll. Ride Baby Ride doesn’t just entertain, it gives you something more meaningful to sit with, and it’s bolstered by a slew of talent whom all have a bright and promising future.
Recommendation: Ride Baby Ride is fun and entertaining seven-minute experience, and you should absolutely give it a watch! In fact, you watch it right now on ALTER’s YouTube channel!
Revved up for more?! Check out the links below:
Fck’n Nuts review
Sam Fox interview for Fck’n Nuts
TITANE review
TITANE Q&A w/Julia Ducournau
What do you think? We want to know. Share your thoughts and feelings in the comments section below, and as always, remember to viddy well!