The Search - Review
All you have to do is run….
A panicked young man runs through the woods. He searches desperately for something under a blanket of leaves that surround him and fill the screen.
We don't know what he's running away from, we don't know what he's looking for so emphatically, but we know that we want to be close to him and discover the truth.
The Search directed by Alex Mahutte is a short film that got everything it takes to spark curiosity in the viewer's eyes.
You can breathe in the smell of damp earth and you can smell panic.
Together with the protagonist (Neal Gregory Mahutte ) - very good at conveying this feeling of terror and urgency - we feel cold, afraid and our breathing increase in unison with his.
We don't know what he might have done to get chased, or what he's looking for that's so important, but what's certain is that we want to accompany him on this frenetic black and white adventure.
The Search - Review
Fast pace and dark atmosphere in this short film full of anxiety and mystery.
The Search directed by Alex Mahutte is a desperate race where the grayness of an autumn forest, the crackling of the leaves and the labored breathing of the protagonist on the run are the essential elements.
A frantic search. Of what?
A desperate escape. But from whom?
Who is hiding what? Who's chasing who?
So many questions for a film that last almost 6 minutes.
The dynamic direction of Mahutte and the incisive performance of Neal Gregory Mahutte make The Search a little noir where black and white does nothing but increase that omnipresent sense of bewilderment and fear.
it's an enigma where the spectator remains pleasantly lost, intrigued...and in search of answer from the beginning to the end.
Socks - Review
A deep and touching film about the internal struggles of a woman who survived being trafficked.
Socks is a dramatic short film directed by Ashley Aquilla, structured as a 31-minute-long soliloquy.
Nothing happens during the film. The soliloquy tells us a story that happened some twenty years prior, when Belinda, played by a fearless Laprise Johnson, was kidnapped to be later trafficked for minor prostitution.
Johnson carries the entire short film, from beginning to end, thanks to her deeply touching and truthful performance. Most of the shots are long monologues shot as sequences. The directorial choice is rewarded by allowing the audience to get into the story, empathize with Belinda, and follow her train of thought.
The writing is very poetic, yet completely heart-shattering. The little girl, now in the hands of her captors, tries to fixate on the socks — a detail that reminds her of her mother, back in Ohio, running a successful laundromat business.
Johnson also takes on the thankless task of acting without special lighting, specific set design, or interesting costumes, which would have helped the overall film be more captivating and dramatic. Everything is very realistic, and maybe that’s the real power of this film.
This film goes to show that great performance and good writing are enough to keep the audience glued to the screen for the entire 31 minutes.
The script would also work very well on stage.
Cats and Husbands - Review
It would be so nice if blowing out the candles could also extinguish the pain...
Cats and Husbands directed by Grace Samson and Barry Samson, is a short film that delicately and profoundly talks about the difficulty in managing loss and the harsh struggle in being able to move on with a life that did not go exactly as hoped.
Everything that seems like a simple meeting between two friends is actually a sad anniversary that Fern and Marcie have been celebrating for two years:
the birthday of a child never born.
Fern (Rae Cofsky) after the abortion and several attempts to get pregnant seems incapable of dealing with a motherhood that will never come and an husband that fight his own sadness by pouring on their cat all the love he would have liked to give to a child, consequently avoiding every bit of entertainment.
Marcie (Vanessa Simon) is the good friend that every woman should have, the one that feels Fern's frustration and sense of emptiness, but tries to lighten things up and turn tragedy into comedy.
A warm and enveloping film, which with extreme simplicity touches fragile and profound chords, creating an invisible bond with the spectator.
The lights, the atmosphere...everything is so real and familiar that it's incredibly easy to have the feeling of sharing the table with the two protagonists and breathing in the smell of coffe and matcha latte.
7 minutes that contain love, pain, sadness, smiles and uncertainties.
That's cinema... that's life!
Foster Justice - Review
Reading Foster Justice, the script written by Colleen Shannon, it is inevitable to imagine that on the big screen John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara would have been the perfect actors for this unexpected love story with thriller implications.
We have the classic reserved, quite grumpy Texas ranger who loves horses, quiet, slow living and everything that his beloved land has granted him for generations; and then we have a beautiful, bewitching, proud, indomitable redhead who will enter and shock the protagonist's life in a totally unexpected way.
Chad Foster, is a man who lives in black and white. So dedicated to his ranch and his property that he has forgotten what emotions and social life are.
But when his younger brother Trey - a free spirited painter - suddenly disappears, he finds himself forced to leave his static beloved existence to look for him in a city far from his tastes and ideals: the "full of perverts and derelicts" Los Angeles.
A woman's red hair and the butterfly tattoo on her breast portrayed on a painting are the only clues that will catapult Chad into a daring story of revenge, deception and passion.
Chad will have to clash not only with the shady and mysterious Thomas Kinnard - the owner of an art gallery with whom Trey had a business that had little to do with the world of art - but also with a whole spiral of circumstances that will lead him to meet the woman his brother has fallen madly in love with: the splendid Jasmine... escort on behalf of the "Silence is Golden".
Chad and Jasmine, two worlds colliding.
Chad's gray and Jasmine's fiery red: two colors that meet, crash and blend on a canvas full of lies and intrigue. Two opposites who, despite the mistrust, the apparent differences, and the constant doubt that hovers around their relationship throughout the screenplay, inevitably attract each other like two magnets.
But is Jasmine really who Chad thinks she is?
What are Kinnard's real intentions? And what happened to his brother Trey?
Fuglaar's fluid and detailed writing makes this screenplay absolutely compelling and capable of projecting every single scene in the reader's mind; each character - even the most marginal one - is defined in a detailed and exhaustive way. The dialogues are truthful and essential.
Suspense and romance alternate in these 100 pages, where everything is not as it seems and where the twists and turns last until the end!
Rhymes with Crump - Review
“This is Rock n'roll!” is the first word that comes to mind as soon as this rebellious super short film directed by John Johnson begins.
And not for the musical background, but for the message of revolt that, albeit briefly, leaks from its very powerful and unmistakable Images.
Rhymes with Crump is in fact capable in just 2 minutes of literally setting fire to the image and thoughts of one of the most controversial, criticized, hated (but also widely approved and therefore come to power) Presidents of the United States of America: Donald Trump .
His blond tuft, his perpetual sulk, his capricious and omnipotent behavior, in the form of a puppet, is crucified and set on fire, while a man carries out an extremely American action such as cutting the grass of his garden, transforming a simple lawn in a homemade “Burning Man”.
A small fire with an enormous meaning of demolition, elimination, exorcism and catharsis.
Johnson's is undoubtedly a film of revolt, but above all a courageous declaration of independence, of dissociation from a thought that doesn't belong to many people; a subversive act that screams freedom of choice and purification from what is perceived as absolute evil.
“America has always been great” is the response message that this film addresses to Trump's millionaire campaign which professed the desire to make the United States shine again - “Make America Great Again” - by claiming its superiority, absolute power and arrogance all around the world.
A big applause to courage and dissent, because art is above all courage and rebellion... Bravo John!
Ye Ole Glorya - Review
Ye Ole Glorya is a hilarious 14-minute short film that lives in a space between theatre and stand-up comedy.
Taking place, for the most part, on a stage in front of an audience, the comedy short written, directed, and produced by Jeff Kazanjian recounts with irony the story of a man, Jeff, falling in love with a hole in a wall. The hole in the wall is represented as a two-dimensional rectangular piece of cardboard with a hole the size of a mouth, with an actual smiling/moving mouth, and is called Glorya Hole.
Jeff, played candidly by standup comedian Erik Escobar, starts going on dates with Glorya, and everything goes well until they reach the third date, where Glorya reveals herself to be an actual woman (played by a man, Alex Raabe) hiding behind a piece of cardboard. Then, the film becomes even more surreal, with the wall becoming an actual person, Walliam, played by Storm Lorraine.
The three become an unlikely and poetic ménage-à-trois, with each character trying to pursue their romantic love and sexual interests.
The short pokes fun at toxic masculinity and gender roles, especially with the three men identifying all as different things: a man (Jeff) a woman (Glorya), and a door (Walliam).
The writing and the production are in between le Théâtre of the Grotesque and le Théâtre de l’Absurde and the script is written in an archaic-like language. The story is quirky and interesting, with social and political undertones.
The lighting and cinematography are well done, adding drama and depth to the surreal and light topics of the film.
The acting is truthful — to the greatest extent possible — and the actors' attempt at being serious is the real funny thing here. The three actors are committed and believable.
An absurd, totally over-the-top comedy film about romance, sexuality, and human identity that ends up, unintentionally, being even moving. A good effort!
Is He Cheating? - Review
He loves him, but he also loves the other guy....
Bill Morton explores the complexity of married life with a tender and funny short film that brings a big smile on the viewer's mouth.
Bobby (Bill Morton) and Micheal (Matthew Vecera) live together, they are happy, accomplices, lovers... but to continue to love and desire each other sometimes you need a little help, and Trace (Almerry Martins), handsome, passionate and devoted, is definitely the help that Bobby needs ..and he just lives in his mind!
Fantasies are a protection, a safe haven; they help to survive, to tolerate the partner's defects, to ignite or rekindle passion and if they have the appearance that best reflects our tastes... even better!
Trace is a sweet secret, strong arms and warm kisses always ready to satisfy his beloved Bobby...but who's Bobby real love?
Is He Cheating? is a well-written and well-acted comedy that undoubtedly confronts the viewer with self-analysis and one question: loving a fantasy can be considered betrayal?
There's enough space for everybody in bed so... welcome Fantasies!
Good Job, Bill!
Dogma - Review
Drawing inspiration from The Revolt of the Angels, by Anatole France — a novel about a war in the skies between a group of angels led by Archangel Michael and others led by Satan — Dogma is deeply rooted in the mythological "War in Heaven".
The short starts with a scene of space troopers from an imaginary armed force called United Space Force fighting against a giant shiny nebula found on the moon — God — and killing it.
The plot reverses the role that is usually given to God. In this short, God has been attacking over and over, for 7 decades, all spaceships trying to conquer space. But after God’s death — is God dead? And was it God? — death takes over humanity and leads it to revolts, wars, pandemics, economic crises, and ultimately, the world's self-destruction.
The 8-minute sci-fi film uses an animation style that reminds us of video games. The effects used to show the space and the moon are very well done and realistic. The direction by John Johnson is straight to the point, with no added embellishments or superfluous gimmicks.
Dustin Fine’s writing is also straightforward, yet concise and clear.
A very complex socio-political-economic concept explored through a very simple idea, the overall state of the world as it is right now is only and solely the product of human greed and dark desires.
Would be interesting to see developed as a longer series of shorts!
My Digital Truth - Review
Since the beginning of humanity, people have been trying to answer questions about the meaning of life and the universe. The first Greek philosophers tried to answer some of those questions, but with the progress of technology, many more questions have arisen since.
Finance expert Swen Werner investigates the power of Artificial Intelligence in a 9-minute animation film he wrote, directed, and produced.
Seemingly autobiographic, the short tells the story of a banker searching for answers through an AI program after the death of his mother and a recent medical diagnosis. Starting with quotes from philosophers, Werner is trying to capture the essence and effectiveness of incorporating Artificial Intelligence in our lives — whether we’re dealing with medical misdiagnoses, family issues, or other events.
The short film utilizes AI to create a digitally animated version of himself, which in the context of a short based on Artificial intelligence itself is very pertinent and quite "meta". The editing is well done, and the succession of instructive slide cards and the more narrative elements work very well.
The writing is extremely resourceful and intelligent. The story is intriguing and raises all the good questions: AI is there to help, but human relationships will always be the first step to any life resolution.
An inspiring film that offers a positive look at the future and the use of technology to improve the world.
MusArt - Review
Randall Vemer produces a documentary about his journey through different artistic expressions.
Starting as a violist and a violinist, Vemer gets diagnosed with a neurological disease, focal dystonia, which prevents him from playing altogether. The musician goes on to dedicate his next 20 years to painting — his main focus being painting musicians with their instruments.
The name of the short, MusArt, is a compound word created by merging the two words that best describe Vemer: musician and artist.
The 12-minute documentary, written and directed by Kevin Hanzlik, is very plainly produced. The strongest choice made here was not to have a narrator — usually a prominent figure in the world of documentaries — but rather to use text to tell the story of the contemporary artist/musician.
The editing is pretty basic. Most of the documentary is presented as a slideshow of repertoire photos with superimposed text. The photos show at first Vemer playing his instrument, then Vemer’s paintings. The only actual footage appears towards the end, with clips of Vemer playing the violin.
The concept of showing photos during Vemer’s painting years gives us a sense of idleness, of expectation after his diagnosis. Vemer waits two decades before being able to have medical intervention and start playing music again after a 20-year-long hiatus. It’s almost as, as a painter, Vemer wasn’t complete and only became himself again once he got back to the music.
Grammy-awarded composer Kira Zeeman Rugen’s score is distinctive and romantic and follows Vemer’s journey quite well.
The short film is inspiring and we must applaud Vemer for his resolution and dedication to following his true passion.
Entanglement - Review
A beautiful film about the deep connections we create within ourselves, and with the world surrounding us.
Entanglement is a psychological thriller about two twins, Lily and Ella, who have been inseparable since birth. Ella and Lily have two very distinctive personalities, Lily is the yin to Ella’s yang, two faces of the same medal. Or shall I say, two faces of the same person?
Growing up, the mental state of the two women slowly deteriorates as they both look for their own identity and struggle to keep up with their environment.
The short, written and directed by Ulrika Sjölin, stars an intense and enigmatic Maria Forslin. The cast is very well done, Forslin and the two younger versions of the characters, played by Akilah Lindegren and Eva Gecer, look very realistic as the same person. The overall acting in this film is noteworthy.
The aesthetic of the film is well-curated, and the details are very well-conceived and represented. The color correction alternates brilliantly in creating a softer world with a stronger and a rather more disturbed one.
The writing is well done. Psychological thrillers with open endings such as this one are usually captivating and generally thought-provoking and destabilizing. And when a film can live in the mind of the audience even after it’s over, that’s a real success.
Overall, the film is delicate and striking at the same time. Once again, women in film prove themselves to be able to add poetry to any type of genre, whether it be a comedy, a drama, or, like in this case, a thriller.
Great work!
Fantasy of Companionship between... - Interview
Fantasy of Companionship between Human and Inanimate is an adorable 36-minute family film filled with magic. The animated film, described as a “musical fantasy for piano and orchestra”, is about a sweet little lion called Alan, whose soul leaves its animal body to take the shape of a lion plush inanimate toy, hence the title.
Christina, the young girl purchasing the lion doll, embarks on a journey far from home to go to college and brings Alan with her.
The Tanzanian cub's soul and mind will soon be enhanced thanks to Artificial Intelligence, which will allow the cub to become in all and for all a tangible-virtual friend to Christina.
This film will definitely spark a debate on how AI will have an impact on personal relationships and friendships, especially in an era filled with technology, where most activities can be performed in the comfort of our homes, alone.
The computer 2D animation, Samudra Kajal Saikia, is simplistic yet beautiful and delivers a funny contrast between the childlike drawings and the epic music.
The gentle and deep voice of the narrator is what glues together the ingénue and cute visuals to the moody and evocative music by composer Manu Martin and played by Arthur Fagen's orchestra.
A delightful animated film accompanied by a glorious symphony that will make you reminisce about your childhood dreams and hopes.
Proud Girls - Review
Mockumentaries are still a relatively unexplored genre, with Sacha Baron Cohen leading the international scene with his “Borat” series of films. Yet, the peculiar aspect of mockumentaries is that any topic — generally a social or political debate — can be explored to the absolute extreme.
The more extreme, the funnier.
Here, Leslie Flannery rides on the recent debate over reproductive healthcare in the United States and writes a fictitious story about a group of women, who call themselves “Proud Girls” — mocking the male North American far-right, neo-fascist militant organization supported by Donald Trump — who take over the entire nation following the January 6th riots at the U.S. Capitol.
After 100 years of women ruling the United States, the Federal nation has become a country of terror, where — mirroring the world Trump and his mates would probably love to live in — women rule everything about men’s lives and bodies. Men become, in all and for all, second-class citizens, having to report every single sexual activity not targeted at reproducing (an illegal practice that puts the perpetrator at risk of a prison sentence).
The chief of this gang of maniacs is a woman of course, who likes to be called MOTUS — or Mother of the United States. A sort of female version of Donald Trump himself.
The script is hilarious and quirky, and the plot is engaging and dynamic. The script's pace is quite fast and the overall script seems shorter than its 100 pages.
It is a delirious and absurd script that sheds light on the delirious and absurd world we live in. Well done.
Entanglement - Review
Entanglement is a 15-minute short film written and directed by Ulrika Sjölin, who co-produced the picture with Marina Ritvall and Erika Jangen.
Entanglement is a very feminine film. It's very aesthetic, and it touches on profound and introspective topics. It doesn’t come as a surprise that Sjölins — who's making her directorial debut with Entanglement — has 25 years of experience as a costume designer and creative director. The production design is very well done, with great attention to detail.
The director uses here different color gradings to create two specific moods in the film. There is a strong contrast between the scenes where Ella is alone and the scenes where Lily is present too. When it’s only Ella, the mood is light and airy, and the set is empty and scarce. When Lily is mentioned or appears, everything becomes darker, more gritty, and chaotic.
Ella is supposedly the main character, we follow her emotions and her journey in her search for Lily. Lily, on the other hand, is only seen in flashbacks and short appearances. Everything leads us to think that Ella is creating Lily in her mind.
It’s the conversation between teen Lily and Ella that makes us realize that things are not exactly what they appear, reality and illusion might be mixing to create a suspension of truth. Through this short, we are almost transported to a space where reality and illusion trade places, are we following the thoughts and lives of Ella? Is Lily a ghost, a creation of Lily’s mind? Or is Lily the real person, hospitalized in a mental institution, and only dreaming and remembering about Ella?
The plot gets a tad confusing with the appearance of Irina, Jan, and his son Lucas. We’re not exactly sure about their connection to Lily/Ella, nor how they resolve their arc.
However, the acting is very powerful, all three stages of Ella/Lily are very well acted. And the casting choice for the teen and child version of Ella/Lily is absolutely spot on.
This film almost wants to answer the question: what happens to the dreams and fantasies we create ourselves as kids, once we grow up? Do our imaginary friends follow us and grow with us, or is there a moment we should let them go?
A very well-produced and directed psychological thriller about self-discovery, self-acceptance, and mental illnesses.
Dream Prisoners - Review
Dream Prisoners is exactly what its title evokes: a documentary about people who get stuck in their own dreams.
Elena Rubtsova and Lilya Glants directs this captivating 12-minute documentary about a fairly unknown mental condition, called maladaptive daydream, which was first described in 2002.
The film shows the testimonials of some people who have suffered from maladaptive daydreaming to the point of losing contact with their jobs, their friends, and families. The testimonials are complemented by interviews with two clinical psychologists, who explain the origins and the development of the habit.
The people affected by this condition seem to become addicted to the emotions experienced during their daydreams to the point that they aren’t able to experience them in their normal lives. So it’s surprising to learn that despite creating a huge obstruction to being able to live a healthy life, this mental issue is still not recognized as an official mental disorder.
One person, in fact, describes the disorder as being trapped in a chair and forced to watch a film created by their own mind, a sort of DIY Clockwork Orange, playing in their own head.
The film is very fast-paced as if wanting to bring the audience into the frenetic mind of a daydreamer. The editing is well done, leaving room only for the very essential. The film goes straight to the point and doesn't add any unnecessary detail, which is why it's so easy to follow.
The interesting part of this film is that not much has been written yet about this phenomenon, reason why it would be great for the directors to develop a full-length documentary on this topic, maybe with a deeper research on the types of trauma that can lead to an individual resorting to this coping mechanism: becoming a maladaptive daydreamer.
A very informative documentary that leaves the audience wanting to learn more about the disorder.
Two Point O - Review
The grainy and low-fidelity quality of Two Point O is what makes its style unique. The short film produced and directed by David Anderson and Aaron Joshua is a mix between a documentary and fiction, with the dreamy vision of the main character of his own future — a 2.0 version of himself.
The short film retraces the past of the main character, played by Joshua, through scenes interlocked with his present struggles with his addictions.
The beginning of the film shows a group of people, sitting in a circle, reciting the well-known inspirational mantra: “God, grant to us the serenity of mind to accept that which cannot be changed, the courage to change that which can be changed, and the wisdom to know the one from the other”. This first scene sets up the entirety of the film on a purgative and freeing level.
Some shots are vibrant, they bring us inside the very life of an addict. As the confusion rises in Aaron’s life, his ability to extricate himself from his dependencies increases. His search for a better self couldn’t have been possible without his friends, who are there for him all the way. And this is praiseworthy.
The message is positive. An improvement is possible, but only if accompanied by a true desire for change, as well as a real support system. And all this doesn’t come, unfortunately, without difficulties.
A short that gives hope to anyone who is struggling to reach the very best version of themselves.
Dissociating Vulnerability - Review
Dissociating Vulnerability is a 55-minute psychological thriller about being stuck in the past and unable to move on from it.
Right after the death of his kind-natured adoptive mom, Shinya, a young painter, starts having visions of a young woman following him everywhere he goes and having some sort of control over his actions. His estranged father reappears and wants to take care of him, and at the same time, his childhood friend from the orphanage days wants to help him get through this difficult time.
The story is very intriguing, the unfolding of the plot is well done and the film is interesting and entertaining.
The direction is quite simple, but it’s very curious how the camera is at times looking at the characters through a peephole.
This creates a distance and distortion between the audience and the characters, and puts us in the perspective of the demons, visions from another dimension spying on the young man and his loved ones from afar.
Some scenes turned out to be a bit static and slow, and the film could have benefitted from some more action and pace, especially in the direction and the editing. The acting is minimal, with the exception of a few dramatic scenes, which really bring out the emotion of the film.
Overall, a very engaging psychological thriller with good suspense and a few plot twists.
Marriage is a dramatic short film written, co-directed, and produced by Noella Jung. The film focuses on a violin performer, played by Jung, in her dressing room, right after one of her concerts.
The film opens with very angsty music, and a picture of a bride and a groom, pinned inside a violin case. Then, a woman enters the dressing room where Jung is resting and compliments her for her performance.
The rest of the film appears to be a monologue — or rather, a soliloquy considering that her interlocutor doesn’t ever appear in the frame — but it was written and directed as if it were an interview: back and forth of questions between the main character and itself that are never answered, emphasized by frequent changes in shot size and framing.
The acting is puzzling yet grounded. The screenplay is very well written, leaving a lot of double-entendres. When Jung says "you will find it rather boring as you go on", is she referring to her music, or is she referring to her marriage?
A very well-thought concept, with simple yet focused execution. This just goes to show that when a concept is clear and a film is well written, no extra gimmicks are necessary to make the film work.