From director Jono Mitchell and screenwriter Madison Hatfield, the brand-new 13-minute short comedy Thirty Candles is a charming homage to the John Hughes classic Sixteen Candles, but with a decidedly gay twist.
Baker (Brandon Lee Browning) is turning 30 today… and he’s not thrilled about it. His long-distance best friend Hugh (DeMarius Copes) calls him up bright and early to celebrate and preemptively offset the birthday blues, but it’s no use. The ladies at the office seems to be planning some kind of embarrassing workplace surprise party. Sucking it up, Baker puts on his snazziest suit and sets off to work… only to find that the party is not for him, but a pregnant co-worker. What’s worse than everyone making a big deal out of your 30th birthday? No one remembering!
Luckily for Baker, the one person that does seem to remember his special day is Mike Bryan (Lee Osorio), the handsome IT guy of his deepest romantic fantasies. Suddenly, this milestone birthday might go from being the worst ever to the best.
With witty writing and charismatic performances, Thirty Candles is a clever and heartwarming short rom-com worth savoring. Watch a 30-second trailer for the film below. The full short is now streaming on Dekkoo.