MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Short film
Poster for Varicella

Varicella

2015 · 14 min

A short, wryly unsettling domestic comedy that turns parental worry into something faintly sinister and absurd.

Directed by
Fulvio Risuleo
Starring
Giordana Morandini, Edoardo Pesce, Enea De Angelis
Overview
Chickenpox is a harmless disease when caught as a child, but as an adult it can be very dangerous. When Mom finds out, she starts to worry about Charles, her little son, who has never caught it yet. He grows up fast and action must be taken now. She must find a way to make him sick. But does dad agree?

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
Directed by
Fulvio Risuleo
Starring
Giordana Morandini, Edoardo Pesce, Enea De Angelis
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • absurdstrength 2 of 3
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • satiricalstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 1 of 3
Pacing
brisk, 3 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • parenthood
  • family
  • obsession
  • fate
  • identity
Places
  • home
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • single location
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex none
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action2
Horror3
Humour6
Realism6
Romance1
Tension5
Darkness5
Complexity5
Emotional weight4

More like this

Titles like Varicella

Short film

The Spanking

2016

A brief, unsettling provocation that plays its deadpan premise for uneasy laughs and leaves a lingering discomfort.

Absurd, dark, brisk · about parenthood and family · single location

Via
  • absurd
  • dark
  • parenthood
  • family
  • single location
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
3 min
Details
The SpankingHidden from your suggestions.
Short film

Ego

2025

A cringe-inducing double date spirals into pretentious, semi-apocalyptic awkwardness, balancing sharp satire with uncomfortable tension.

Absurd, satirical · about parenthood and family · single location

Via
  • absurd
  • satirical
  • parenthood
  • family
  • single location
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
14 min
Details
EgoHidden from your suggestions.
Short film

Dissecando Selma

2025

An uneasy, deadpan short that blurs documentary framing with a mother's unraveling delusions, leaving a prickly, unsettled aftertaste.

Absurd, dark, brisk · about parenthood and obsession · single location

Via
  • absurd
  • dark
  • parenthood
  • obsession
  • single location
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
8 min
Details
Dissecando SelmaHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Birthday​ Gift​

2026

A lively, talky family gathering that turns awkward and chaotic, easy to watch but prickly with quarrels.

Brisk · about parenthood and family

Via
  • parenthood
  • family
Pacing
brisk
Attention
easy-watch
Runtime
86 min
Details
The Birthday​ Gift​Hidden from your suggestions.
Short film

Outed

2025

A short, prickly domestic standoff that plays like an uncomfortable joke you can't quite laugh off.

Dark, brisk · about parenthood and family

Via
  • dark
  • parenthood
  • family
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
9 min
Details
OutedHidden from your suggestions.
Short film

The Knife

2025

A tense, surreal comedy that mines dark laughs from medical anxiety and family secrets, keeping you off-balance and engaged.

Absurd, dark · about parenthood and family · single location

Via
  • absurd
  • dark
  • parenthood
  • family
  • single location
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
15 min
Details
The KnifeHidden from your suggestions.
Short film

Starched Collars

2021

A short, odd little chamber piece that plays like a deadpan fable, funny and faintly unsettling in its tidy, rule-bound world.

Absurd, satirical, brisk · about family and identity · single location

Via
  • absurd
  • satirical
  • family
  • identity
  • single location
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
11 min
Details
Starched CollarsHidden from your suggestions.
Short film

Les dents de ma mère

1991

A brief, strange, darkly funny jolt that turns family intimacy into something unsettling and absurd.

Absurd, dark, brisk · about parenthood and family

Via
  • absurd
  • dark
  • parenthood
  • family
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
4 min
Details
Les dents de ma mèreHidden from your suggestions.
Short film

Dead Cat

2023

A squirm-inducing little farce that mines parental panic and pet death for queasy laughs, keeping you tense and amused at once.

Absurd, dark, brisk · about parenthood and family · single location

Via
  • absurd
  • dark
  • parenthood
  • family
  • single location
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
13 min
Details
Dead CatHidden from your suggestions.
Short film

Tub

2010

A queasy, deadpan gross-out short that plays its absurd premise completely straight, making you squirm and snicker at once.

Absurd, dark, brisk · about parenthood and obsession · single location

Via
  • absurd
  • dark
  • parenthood
  • obsession
  • single location
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
12 min
Details
TubHidden from your suggestions.
Short film

Mother 2.0

2023

A quick, deadpan Swedish short that turns an awkward family confession into a dry, uncomfortable punchline.

Absurd, brisk · about parenthood and family

Via
  • absurd
  • parenthood
  • family
Pacing
brisk
Attention
easy-watch
Runtime
5 min
Details
Mother 2.0Hidden from your suggestions.
Short film

The McBastards

2018

A scrappy, absurdist short that plays like a deadpan joke stretched to its limit, equal parts silly and strangely bleak.

Absurd, dark, brisk · about family and obsession

Via
  • absurd
  • dark
  • family
  • obsession
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
12 min
Details
The McBastardsHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Directed by
Fulvio Risuleo
Written by
Fulvio Risuleo
Starring
Giordana Morandini, Edoardo Pesce, Enea De Angelis
Runtime
14 min
Languages
Italian

TMDBIMDb

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.