Review Highlights
“A beautiful and provocative short film…” “McKendrick is so gifted: her emotions shiver on the outside of her skin…” “Contemporary cinema is so afraid of sex, so afraid of adult complexity, mixed motives, ambivalence. Fuck Me Richard lives in that forbidden space, a space where so many of us live. People are hungry for this kind of story.”
- Sheila O'Malley, (Writer: Roger Ebert, NY Times)
https://sheilaomalley.substack.com/p/sxsw-a-short-film-about-loneliness
“F**k Me, Richard delights in its mysteriousness, firmly keeping its cards to its chest throughout, only giving us playful hints as to the characters’ true intentions. Beautifully shot on film, it is as wonderful to look at as it is to ponder over. McKendrick’s clever writing expertly blends wit with deception, demanding an immediate rewatch.”
— Alton Wilton, Battle Royal With Cheese
https://battleroyalewithcheese.com/2023/03/fk-me-richard-short-film-review/
“Fuck Me, Richard is a stylish film that explores the thrills and perils of modern dating and the layers of mutual deceit and self-mythologizing that often accompany burgeoning romance. The increasingly claustrophobic four walls of the apartment provide an ideal setting for desperation and disassociation to take hold. Audiences will be left pondering Sally’s murky intentions long past the film’s 15-minute run time…”
- Tara Kenny, Film Inquiry
https://www.filminquiry.com/sxsw-ff-2023-women-shorts/
“Written by McKendrick, this film is begging to be made into a feature-length story. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars”
- Kit Stone, The Black C.A.P.E
“A character study about one lonely person that ends up saying a lot about today’s world.”
- Cabot/Muir, AIPT Comics
https://aiptcomics.com/2023/03/25/fuck-me-richard-sxsw-tetris-apple-tv/
“McKendrick does a fantastic job taking us into Sally’s lonely, painkiller-blurred reality. But make no mistake, she’s not entirely out of it. The performance is understated, which leaves much to the imagination, yet at once is incredibly brazen and vulnerable. She carries the entire 17 minutes of this Short Film, a very impressive introduction to her talents, alongside Co-Director Charlie Pollinger.”
- Will Tong, Mr.WillTong.com
“This stylish and surprising short about the perils of modern dating”
- Stephanie Malone, Morbidly Beautiful
https://morbidlybeautiful.com/sxsw-2023-ten-women-driven-shorts/
“I understand that this was a short but I very much did not want it to be… I love where we end up during this 14-minute ride and how the tables take a turn.”
-Shelli Nicole, Autostradale
https://www.autostraddle.com/sxsw-2023-a-queer-recap-quick-note-on-film-festival-media-inclusion/
Interviews
“Lucy McKendrick isn’t one to let improbable odds dissuade her. From more than 10,000 short films submitted for the upcoming South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival in Texas, McKendrick’s – Fuck Me, Richard – was one of 20 chosen. And the sole Aussie representative.”
— Screen Hub, Tahlia Norrish
“With “Fuck Me Richard” premiering this week in Austin at SXSW as part of the Narrative Shorts section, McKendrick and Polinger spoke about how they came to join forces in the first place and setting up McKendrick as an actress with such a dazzling one-woman show, as well as adding all the small, telling production details that make for such a lively comedy.”
— Movable Fest, Stephen Saito
https://moveablefest.com/lucy-mckendrick-charlie-polinger-fuck-me-richard/