God of Love (film)
Encyclopedia
God of Love is an American live action
short film. The film's run time is approximately 18 minutes. It was written and directed by Luke Matheny
, and produced by Gigi Dement, Ryan Silbert, and Stefanie Walmsley. The film was shot in black and white
on the Red One camera by director of photography Bobby Webster.
In the film, a lounge singer
and championship dart
player named Raymond Goodfellow is desperately in love with a fellow band-mate, but she only has love for his best friend. The crooner prays daily to God for a way for his beloved to fall in love with him. One evening, his prayers are answered when he's given a box of magical darts with Cupid
-like powers. Raymond decides to use the darts to make his own love connection.
The film is included as a special feature in the blu-ray release of 127 Hours
.
The film flashes back to three months earlier to Ray’s time as a confident, self-centered lounge singer/dart thrower. Ray’s band consists of his friends Fozzie (guitar), Frank (Bass) and the “love of his life” Kelly (drums). Before he joins the band onstage, Ray prays to God asking him for assistance in getting Kelly to love him. Despite Ray’s ongoing affection to her, she seems drawn to Fozzie who, claiming he's genuinely uninterested, is rejecting Kelly’s advances.
After Ray’s crowd pleasing performance, he is informed by the bartender that someone has left a package for him. The package contains “love darts.” The instructions for the darts explain that when someone is poked with love dart they are immediately attracted to the first person they see. This attraction lasts for 6 hours. At the end of the 6 hours if the love is meant to last it will, but if the love wasn't meant to be, it won’t.
Ray tells Fozzie about the darts and they both agree to have a test run. While the band walks home from a gig, Ray throws a love dart catching a prissy Jersey Girl
named Angela. The first man she sees is Ray’s quiet, low-key bandmate Frank. Just as the instructions promised, Angela falls in love with Frank immediately. Ray and Fozzie follow the new couple around. After exactly six hours, Angela appears to still be in love with Frank and Ray declares the darts “effective.”
Ray enlists Fozzie’s help in creating the “most romantic six hours” ensuring that Kelly will remain in love with Ray after the love dart’s initial power ends. Fozzie is able to offer several tips, knowing a surprising amount about Kelly and the things that are important to her.
Ray goes to Kelly’s house and strikes her with a dart. As promised by the dart’s instructions, she immediately falls in love with him. They go on their date which goes perfectly. Towards the end of the six hours they kiss. When the six hours end, Kelly looks uncomfortable, thanks him for the evening, and leaves. It is clear that the love from the dart did not last.
Ray consoles himself by poking one woman after another until he has a whole flock of women (and one man) who are completely in love with him for six hours. During this time all he can do is talk about getting Kelly to fall in love with him again. He even contemplates convincing her that she has diabetes so she has to poke herself with the love darts over and over again.
The love darts wear off and he is alone again, ready to try his last dart on Kelly one more time. Walking home from another gig with his band, Ray prepares for his final throw at Kelly. Moments before throwing the dart he realizes that his loyal friend Fozzie is really in love with her and that she is really in love with him. Instead of striking Kelly with the dart, he hits Fozzie right as he looks up at Kelly. The two instantly fall in love with each other.
A wiser and less self-centered Ray returns to his apartment. He finds another mysterious box outside his apartment with a note that says “nice work.” He opens the box and finds Cupid
’s bow and arrow.
The film flashes forward to six months in the future at the point the film began. The band continues but without Ray, Angela is the new singer. Frank and Angela and Fozzie and Kelly are still very much in love. Ray is many miles away driving on his motor scooter on the country road his bow and arrow tied to his back. He repeats “you can’t control who you love, or who loves you.” He ends by saying that love doesn’t make sense. He knows all this because “I am the God of the Love.”
at the 83rd Academy Awards
for God of Love. Upon receiving the award, the 34 year-old New York University
, Tisch School of the Arts
student thanked his mother and told the audience, "Oh, I should have got a haircut!". Matheny also thanked the Filipino-Americans
who helped him in the production of the movie.
Live action
In filmmaking, video production, and other media, the term live action refers to cinematography, videography not produced using animation...
short film. The film's run time is approximately 18 minutes. It was written and directed by Luke Matheny
Luke Matheny
Luke Matheny is an American actor, writer, and director. Matheny is an Academy Award winner, receiving the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for God of Love.-Early years:...
, and produced by Gigi Dement, Ryan Silbert, and Stefanie Walmsley. The film was shot in black and white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
on the Red One camera by director of photography Bobby Webster.
In the film, a lounge singer
Lounge music
Lounge music is a retrospective description of music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It is a type of mood music meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place — a jungle, an island paradise, outer space, et cetera — other than where they are listening to it...
and championship dart
Darts
Darts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...
player named Raymond Goodfellow is desperately in love with a fellow band-mate, but she only has love for his best friend. The crooner prays daily to God for a way for his beloved to fall in love with him. One evening, his prayers are answered when he's given a box of magical darts with Cupid
Cupid
In Roman mythology, Cupid is the god of desire, affection and erotic love. He is the son of the goddess Venus and the god Mars. His Greek counterpart is Eros...
-like powers. Raymond decides to use the darts to make his own love connection.
The film is included as a special feature in the blu-ray release of 127 Hours
127 Hours
127 Hours is a 2010 biographical adventure drama film co-written, produced and directed by Danny Boyle. The film stars James Franco as mountain climber Aron Ralston, who became trapped by a boulder in Robbers Roost, Utah in April 2003....
.
Plot
Raymand Goodfellow rides on a country road on his motor scooter. His voice over explains “You can’t control who you fall in love with, or who falls in love with you. Love doesn’t make sense.”The film flashes back to three months earlier to Ray’s time as a confident, self-centered lounge singer/dart thrower. Ray’s band consists of his friends Fozzie (guitar), Frank (Bass) and the “love of his life” Kelly (drums). Before he joins the band onstage, Ray prays to God asking him for assistance in getting Kelly to love him. Despite Ray’s ongoing affection to her, she seems drawn to Fozzie who, claiming he's genuinely uninterested, is rejecting Kelly’s advances.
After Ray’s crowd pleasing performance, he is informed by the bartender that someone has left a package for him. The package contains “love darts.” The instructions for the darts explain that when someone is poked with love dart they are immediately attracted to the first person they see. This attraction lasts for 6 hours. At the end of the 6 hours if the love is meant to last it will, but if the love wasn't meant to be, it won’t.
Ray tells Fozzie about the darts and they both agree to have a test run. While the band walks home from a gig, Ray throws a love dart catching a prissy Jersey Girl
Jersey Girl
Jersey Girl may refer to:*Jersey Girl , a 2004 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Kevin Smith*"Jersey Girl" , a song composed and originally sung by American singer-songwriter Tom Waits...
named Angela. The first man she sees is Ray’s quiet, low-key bandmate Frank. Just as the instructions promised, Angela falls in love with Frank immediately. Ray and Fozzie follow the new couple around. After exactly six hours, Angela appears to still be in love with Frank and Ray declares the darts “effective.”
Ray enlists Fozzie’s help in creating the “most romantic six hours” ensuring that Kelly will remain in love with Ray after the love dart’s initial power ends. Fozzie is able to offer several tips, knowing a surprising amount about Kelly and the things that are important to her.
Ray goes to Kelly’s house and strikes her with a dart. As promised by the dart’s instructions, she immediately falls in love with him. They go on their date which goes perfectly. Towards the end of the six hours they kiss. When the six hours end, Kelly looks uncomfortable, thanks him for the evening, and leaves. It is clear that the love from the dart did not last.
Ray consoles himself by poking one woman after another until he has a whole flock of women (and one man) who are completely in love with him for six hours. During this time all he can do is talk about getting Kelly to fall in love with him again. He even contemplates convincing her that she has diabetes so she has to poke herself with the love darts over and over again.
The love darts wear off and he is alone again, ready to try his last dart on Kelly one more time. Walking home from another gig with his band, Ray prepares for his final throw at Kelly. Moments before throwing the dart he realizes that his loyal friend Fozzie is really in love with her and that she is really in love with him. Instead of striking Kelly with the dart, he hits Fozzie right as he looks up at Kelly. The two instantly fall in love with each other.
A wiser and less self-centered Ray returns to his apartment. He finds another mysterious box outside his apartment with a note that says “nice work.” He opens the box and finds Cupid
Cupid
In Roman mythology, Cupid is the god of desire, affection and erotic love. He is the son of the goddess Venus and the god Mars. His Greek counterpart is Eros...
’s bow and arrow.
The film flashes forward to six months in the future at the point the film began. The band continues but without Ray, Angela is the new singer. Frank and Angela and Fozzie and Kelly are still very much in love. Ray is many miles away driving on his motor scooter on the country road his bow and arrow tied to his back. He repeats “you can’t control who you love, or who loves you.” He ends by saying that love doesn’t make sense. He knows all this because “I am the God of the Love.”
Awards
Matheny won the Academy Award for Live Action Short FilmAcademy Award for Live Action Short Film
This name for the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film was introduced in 1974. For the three preceding years it was known as "Short Subjects, Live Action Films." The term "Short Subjects, Live Action Subjects" was used from 1957 until 1970. From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate...
at the 83rd Academy Awards
83rd Academy Awards
The 83rd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 2010 and took place February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, Academy Awards ...
for God of Love. Upon receiving the award, the 34 year-old New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts is one of the 15 schools that make up New York University ....
student thanked his mother and told the audience, "Oh, I should have got a haircut!". Matheny also thanked the Filipino-Americans
Filipino American
Filipino Americans are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipino Americans, often shortened to "Fil-Ams", or "Pinoy",Filipinos in what is now the United States were first documented in the 16th century, with small settlements beginning in the 18th century...
who helped him in the production of the movie.