Lasagna Run: A Comedy to See the True Face of Anxiety

Really good food can be an erotic experience. A really good film is not too far from that feeling. James Livitski’s food based anxiety comedy Lasagna Run will make a very good case for that assertion. Its short three-minute runtime works in its favour (it could so easily be a music video) and leaves you wanting more, like its protagonist might hope for her lasagna.

The plot is simple: Connie (Danielle Pollari) has to bake and take a lasagna to the neighbours’ potluck. How will it go when anxiety rules the process from beginning to end? The film makes that question principal to its narrative. With a Wes Andersonian flourish that actually makes sense and adds to Livitski’s personal style, the film aestheticises and illustrates the tragedies and comedies, the emotional highs and practical lows of living with anxiety as a young person.

Perhaps the most important aspect of anxiety, at least within this film, is the utter earnestness. The extreme opposite of indifference and deliberately sloppy work is an anxiety disorder. This is what Connie’s journey through hell and high water to get the lasagna to its potluck ultimately leaves us with—a devotion to doing the right thing and doing it right to the point of self-annihilation.

The colours are bright and peppy but the intent runs in the other direction. It is only so bright and saturated because Connie experiences the world so acutely and intensely. Everything is immediate, everything requires attention, everything is a potential disaster. The editing and cinematography are gorgeous, brimming with intent and style. Every shot and cut sparks pleasure, and the ending is unforgettable comedy.

Food and film are also alike in being governed by time. You can and must go back for seconds and thirds with Lasagna Run, but the joy of the first viewing will not be replicated.

Watch Lasagna Run Short Film Trailer