Arman and Emily are a couple on a plane together, happily sipping a drink together as they look forward to a pleasant trip to Tehran. They're newly engaged and Emily is on the way to meet her future in-laws, and they are the picture of a happy relationship. But when Arman discovers a bag of white powder on the plane, the trip takes an unexpected turn. Arman comes under suspicion and is restrained by an eccentric flight attendant. But when Emily becomes implicated, the couple fall apart, as their judgments and resentments of one another come out in the maneuvering. Directed by Ben Gutteridge from a script co-written with Dave Beazley, this wild ride of a relationship drama juggles a darkly comic tone with a more serious portrait of a couple's hidden dysfunction, which comes out in one pressure cooker of a situation. Opening with a scene of Arman and Emily settling into their cabin, the film begins with a swell of dramatic music as the couple drink to their happy occasion. That feeling is undercut when Arman goes into the bathroom to calm his nerves about the engagement.
But a brittle interaction with the flight attendant and the unnerving discovery of a bag of white powder in the lavatory swerve the film into more ominous territory, taking on the look and feel of a thriller. The destabilization of the initially happy opening scene continues, as tension builds over how Arman will get himself out of the situation. The cinematography darkens; the score turns dark and discordant; the action is played with a sinister portent, though the eccentric, slightly sadistic air hostess -- played with sly relish by actor Amy Gledhill -- provides awkward humor as she enjoys the couple's fall from grace. The real conflict ramps up when Emily becomes implicated in the plane crew's suspicions. She becomes angry at how Arman is handling the situation and soon the couple's true dynamic, and most intimate secrets and thoughts, emerge, much to the flight attendant's amusement. The dialogue manages to be relatable, raw, and funny in its recognition of the common foibles and hang-ups in modern relationships, and it's played with a genuine sense of bewilderment and pain by actors Raphael Zari and Elizabeth Bouckley. As Arman and Emily argue, what is revealed is ugly, heartbreaking and yet also bleakly funny, and when the plane finally lands, we can't help but wonder what will emerge out of the wreckage of their relationship. With one last ironic zing of a punchline, IN PLANE SIGHT winds up a rollercoaster of a short, its deft craftsmanship and sure-footed storytelling veering enjoyably between thriller, drama and comedy. Its final destination may be uncertain for its couple, but should elicit a wry smile at how a crisis will bring out anyone's true colors, to relatable effect.
