In writer/director Youcef Beghdadi's short film PHD Gold Digger, Alexandra Brown is Alex, a young feminist attempting to resolve her cognitive dissonance who starts spending day after day in a hospital library looking for a doctor to marry. When a janitor (Bryar Vyuk) begins to notice her daily appearance, his attempts to pick her up coincide with his questioning of her morals. 

PHD Gold Digger picked up a special jury award at the Canada Independent Film Festival and has already screened at such fests as Canada Shorts Film Festival, Fanboy Film Festival, and Montreal International Wreath Awards Film Festival. It seems destined to continue its successful festival run with its low-key vibes, casual humor and the winning chemistry between its co-leads. 

Both Vyuk and Brown offer terrific performances, Brown radiating an intelligence that adds to the intrigue of her character's seemingly unusual behavior that seems partly grounded in intellectual curiosity and partly grounded in more than a little bit of disenfranchisement. Vyuk, on the other hand, exudes a solid charm that is half player, half guy next door and his quiet vulnerability of slipping on that doctor's white coat feels like just a little twinge of insecurity that he convincingly sells even amongst his otherwise healthy self-confidence. 

The film's ultra-solid soundtrack features the likes of Sorry Girls, Anthony Aramouni, Couteau Papillon and others. PHD Gold Digger is a quiet little gem, a low-key short film that would program nicely in a comedy block and leaves you feeling better after having watched than you did before. It takes a commonly held stereotype and has a little fun with it, ending up someplace you may or may not expect. 

For more information on PHD Gold Diggers, visit the film's website linked to in the credits. 

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic