▶ Watch Pun Intended (2023), a comedy short film by Jack Turits. In a world where a bad pun isn’t just a groan—it’s a literal death sentence.
😂 Pun Intended (2023) — Comedy Short Film by Jack Turits
A sharp, absurdist comedy with a satirical bite, Pun Intended takes the idea of “friendly competition” and cranks it into a surreal, laugh‑out‑loud social experiment. Written, directed, and edited by Jack Turits, this 20‑minute short strings together three bizarre contests — each more ridiculous than the last — to poke fun at ego, identity, and the strange ways we measure worth.
🧭 Overview
Genre: Comedy / Satire / Anthology
Director, Writer & Editor: Jack Turits
Runtime: ~20 minutes
Country: United States 🇺🇸
Language: English
Release year: 2023
Festival highlights: Selected for Palm Springs International ShortFest 2024; featured on European Film Academy’s Vimeo showcase
Awards: 1 win & 1 nomination on the indie festival circuit
Watch full short:
📖 Story in Brief
The film unfolds as a triptych of absurd competitions:
The Professional Mourners 💐 A man hires strangers to cry at his father’s funeral — but the job interview process is as awkward as it is hilarious.
Citizenship Contest 🛂 A room full of immigrants competes in a bizarre game show for the ultimate prize: citizenship. The rules are arbitrary, the stakes are real, and the satire is razor‑sharp.
Blood Donor Battle 🩸 Five altruists try to out‑give each other in a competition to donate the most blood — turning generosity into a gladiator sport.
Each segment asks the same question in a different way: When everything becomes a contest, who really wins?
🛠️ Creative “Tools” & Style
Anthology structure: Three self‑contained vignettes linked by theme rather than plot.
Deadpan delivery: Actors play absurd situations with total seriousness, heightening the comedy.
Minimalist sets: Keeps focus on the characters and their ridiculous predicaments.
Satirical writing: Uses exaggeration to skewer bureaucracy, performative altruism, and the commodification of emotion.
Crisp editing: Turits’ background as an editor gives each segment perfect comedic timing.
✅ Pros & ❌ Cons
Pros
🎯 Inventive premise: Three wildly different scenarios tied together by a single satirical thread.
😂 Consistent humor: Balances absurdity with sharp social commentary.
🎭 Strong ensemble: Performances lean into the awkwardness without overplaying it.
🏆 Festival appeal: Works equally well for comedy lovers and fans of smart satire.
Cons
⏳ Short runtime: Leaves you wishing for a fourth or fifth vignette.
🌀 Dry humor: Those who prefer broad comedy may miss the subtler jokes.
🌟 Themes & Resonance
Competition culture: How even empathy, grief, and generosity can be gamified.
Bureaucratic absurdity: The surreal hoops people jump through for validation or survival.
Human vanity: The need to “win” at everything, even when the prize is meaningless.
Satire as mirror: Laughing at the characters means laughing at ourselves.
👥 Who Is It For?
Comedy fans: Especially those who love The Office, Nathan for You, or Documentary Now! style humor.
Satire lovers: Anyone who appreciates humor with a social edge.
💡 Humanized Takeaway
Pun Intended 2023 short film is more than a string of gags — it’s a sly reminder that our obsession with winning can turn even the most human moments into absurd theater. Jack Turits invites us to laugh, cringe, and maybe question the games we play in real life.