When a late night bowler has his regular game interrupted by the arrival of a mystery girl, an unusual game of bowling is set in motion

This little bundle of joy shot in Dublin, which premiered at the Kerry Film Festival in 2011, tells a clever story without any dialogue, just looks, intrigue and upbeat music that keep the eyes on a bowling ball and the attention on what becomes an interesting game disputed between a young man and a female rival who strikes (pun intended!) his attention and disrupts his routine.

The dynamic reminded me of the subtle cheekiness found in some of Soderbergh films that aren’t romantic comedies, but that know how to provide and capture that sense of guilty pleasure one feels at a challenge between opposite sexes.

The aspect I enjoyed the most in this short is how well the music marries the story’s evolution, guiding the viewer through each shot with ascending tones, while keeping the lightheartedness of the storyline. More so, photography looks crisp and stylish in each shot, making it a really pleasant watch throughout the entire film. Kudos to Philip Kelly and his Irish crew for making a short that looked like the making of was as amusing as it was to watch.

Follow Philip Kelly on Twitter: @philgkelly