Two brothers assess their offensive joke to determine if it's appropriate for the overly sensitive social justice warriors that spend their lives on social media.
Trailer
Director's Statement (The Cremer Brothers)
"What Can I Say?" was intended to be a scene in a feature (nothing in particular). During the Great Lockdown of 2020
we decided to film the scene as a short comedy and star in it ourselves. We knew if we didn’t film something we’d be driven mad so this was produced as a way of maintaining our sanity. We shot it without any crew, filming it all in one night, The phone conversations were recorded the following day using Melissa Malone and Grace Soriano.
It was based on a true story. The names have been changed to protect the people involved and their loved ones. One of our friends was watching the “Rear Window” remake and posted it on Facebook. Immediately jokes about how Christopher Reeve would not make a convincing quadriplegic were tossed around our home office. We typed up the joke as a response to our friend’s post but decided against it due to the overly sensitive social justice warriors that live online. We ended up texting the joke to her instead. For the record we are both fans of Christopher Reeve. The film is our little jab at the absurdity of cancel culture and social justice warriors. You don’t have to like the film or find it funny but if you’re offended by it then you’re the person we’re making fun of. Enjoy.
Screenings & Official Selections
Awards & Nominations
Production Information
Year of Production
Duration
Genre
Camera
Ratio
Language
Budget
Filming Locations
2020
5:00
Comedy
Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro
2:35:1
English
$0.00
West Milford, NJ, USA
Photo Gallery
The certificate for Director's Choice from the 2021 Rhino Comedy Shorts Film Festival.
The Cremer Brothers (writers/directors) during the Q&A at the March 2022 Grove Film Festival.
The Cremer Brothers (writers/directors) during the Q&A at the March 2022 Grove Film Festival.
Herb Cremer (co-writer/co-director) during the Q&A at the March 2022 Grove Film Festival.
Joe Cremer (co-writer/co-director) during the Q&A at the March 2022 Grove Film Festival.
The Cremer Brothers accepting their award for Best Comedy at the March 2022 Grove Film Festival.
The Cremer Brothers with their Best Comedy certificate at the March 2022 Grove Film Festival.
The Cremer Brothers with their Best Comedy certificate at the March 2022 Grove Film Festival.
The Cremer Brothers at the 2022 Point Lookout Film Festival.
The Cremer Brothers during the Q&A portion of the 2022 Point Lookout Film Festival.
The Cremer Brothers during the Q&A portion of the 2022 Point Lookout Film Festival.
The Cremer Brothers at the 2022 Point Lookout Film Festival.
The Cremer Brothers at the 2022 Point Lookout Film Festival.
The Cremer Brothers accepting certificates for Best Short Short (What Can I Say?) and Best Horror/Thriller (Better Safe Than Sonny) at the 2022 Point Lookout Film Festival.
Facts
Although it was filmed during the 2020 quarantine the story was already written and mostly finished before the stay-at-home order. Once the world was shut down it seemed like the perfect film for the Cremer Brothers to do since they would only need two actors to be on-camera.
The idea is based on a true story. On January 18, 2019 Grace Soriano (long-time collaborator/silent partner) posted on Facebook that she was watching Rear Window (1998); a remake of the Alfred Hitchcock classic. The movie starred Christopher Reeve after his tragic accident that left him a quadriplegic. Joe Cremer wanted to comment: "How was Christopher Reeve's performance? Was he a convincing quadriplegic?" Worried that it might be too offensive for sensitive people on the internet he asked his brother, Herb, to weigh in. After a long discussion the joke was texted to Grace and never posted online. But the idea for the film was born in that moment.
The film uses John Williams' score from Superman (1978). The Cremer Brothers never got permission to use the score but they did create a version with the music removed to play at festivals.
The first film to feature Herb Cremer in front of the camera.
The dog featured in the film was The Cremer Brothers' dog, Domino. Sadly, he passed away about four months after wrapping at the age of fourteen.