101 in 1001: Watch 20 Short Films (11-20)

It's been a while since I wrote anything here, but I've been steadily working through my 101 in 1001 list...and forgetting to post about them! Over the past few months I've been watching lots of films that are under 40 minutes long for the goal:

• 069. Watch 20 short films.

I've tried to select a mixture of films again, but of course I do have my own personal watching preferences. Thanks again goes to my friend Kei for linking me to the My French Film Festival site, where I watched all of the French shorts. And with that, in no particular order, here are the final ten films:

Unwind

Title: Unwind (2012)

Director: Tansay Gardam

Language: English

Genre: Sci-fi, drama, medical

Runtime: 6 minutes

Plot: After the Heartland War was fought over abortion, a compromise was reached, allowing parents to sign an order for their children between the ages of 13 and 18 to be unwound - taken to "harvest camps" and have their body parts harvested for later use. 

Thoughts: Based on a book of the same name by Neal Shusterman, the short Unwind focuses on Kelsey, a teen going through her unwinding process. Even though there are only three shots used - Kelsey's eyes, the nurse's face and the doctor - and most of those are very lengthy, the film doesn't get boring. All of Kelsey's emotions are conveyed through her eyes and it works very well, especially against the faux caring words from the nurse ("oh sweety, don't worry", "you don't die, sweety, you just stop living", "you're saving lives" etc.). It's quite obvious throughout that both the nurse and the doctor view this patient not as a person, but as a collection of living organs, which they need to dismantle as part of their jobs. It's a somewhat uncomfortable watch, as I think was intended, but I enjoyed it.

Noyade interdite / No Drowning

Title: Noyade interdite / No Drowning (2016)

Director: Mélanie Laleu

Language: French

Genre: Sci-fi, drama, romance, some comedy

Runtime: 17 minutes

Plot: Humans are following the Voice's orders. Inserting coins into slots provides the beat. Solitude settles in for good and reigns over the world. Suddenly, two dreamers cross paths, and the battle begins. When a strip-tease mermaid encounters a diver and wish thief, the world around them had better watch out.

Thoughts: Although this short has a contemporary science fiction setting, it is very much a story about two unusual people who want more from their lives and begin to follow their dreams together. The character development is great and you get attached to and hopeful for both main characters. The "mermaid's" journey from  a disillusioned loner, resigned to her fate, to someone with hope who can share even her most ridiculous dreams with someone else is wonderful. The last 5 minutes of the film (including during/after the credits), as fantastical as they are, close the film really well whilst also leaving you wondering what will happen next. This quirky and unusual film was a great find that I'm glad to have seen.

Mama / 媽媽

Title: Mama / 媽媽 (2015)

Director:  Ernest Chong Shun Yuan

Language: Hakka

Genre: Drama

Runtime: 11 minutes

Plot: In a village, a lonely retired nurse goes through her daily routine with her son by her side as she reflects on the memories of her younger days with her husband and children.

Thoughts: This is a sad film, though it doesn't seem it until the last minute or so. The plot twist at the end wasn't a complete surprise (because who would just sit there not talking whilst someone asked them multiple questions?), but the way in which it was executed and the plot details made it more unanticipated. It was an interesting watch.

La Mort, Père & Fils / The Death, Dad & Son

Title: La Mort, Père & Fils / The Death, Dad & Son (2016)

Director:  Denis Walgenwitz & Winshluss

Language: None (it's a French film but has no voiceovers)

Genre: Comedy, drama, animation

Runtime: 13 minutes

Plot: Death's young son is reluctant to take over the family business as he doesn't wants to save lives, not take them. He tries to change his fate by performing a series of good deeds that go wrong and ultimately take him back to his family's fate.

Thoughts: The animation was beautiful and the score fit the events perfectly. Also, Death "junior" not only wanted to save lives, but wanted to be an angel because he saw one on TV. It was a charming, heartwarming tale showing that you can be yourself, accept who you are and also be "good", even if others don't understand your intentions. It was highly enjoyable and managed to be both funny and a little sad at the same time.

Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome

Title: Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome (1954)

Director: Kenneth Anger

Language: None (English text displayed, but mostly silent)

Genre: Experimental

Runtime: 38 minutes

Plot: Historical figures, biblical characters, and mythical creatures gather in the pleasure dome. Aphrodite, Lilith, Isis, Kali, Astarte, Nero, Pan, the Great Beast and the Scarlet Woman all take part.

Thoughts: The "pleasure dome" in the title refers to Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem Kubla Khan, in which Khan orders that a "stately pleasure dome" be built in Xanadu. There are three versions of the film, all with different soundtracks and largely identical imagery, but I have only watched the version with Leos Janácek's Glagolitic Mass as the score.

I have a slight fascination with Kenneth Anger's work -experimental film in general - and have seen some of his shorts before (Rabbit's Moon, Lucifer Rising, Invocation of My Demon Brother, Puce Moment etc.). However, for some reason, I'd never watched this one.

Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome looks beautiful and everything - the costumes, hair and make-up, sets, lighting, and post-production - comes together to create a visually arresting film. Even though Glagolitic Mass is a musically wonderful piece, at times the score felt a little too dramatic for the film and I found myself wishing for silence in places. Having said that, Anger released this film in 1954 and a lot of the contemporary film scores had a similar overblown quality to them, especially the Biblical epics.

Perhaps that vague connection was deliberate, as there are also numerous symbolic and ritualistic references to Thelema, a philosophy and semi-religious practice founded by Aleister Crowley, throughout. Unless you're aware of them, though, the film just plays as a decadent, hallucinatory experimental short. Overall I'm glad I watched it!

So You've Grown Attached

Title: So You've Grown Attached (2014)

Director:  Kate Tsang

Language: English (US)

Genre: Comedy, drama, fantasy

Runtime: 15 minutes

Plot: When a young girl starts to grow up her imaginary friend has trouble letting go.

Thoughts: So You've Grown Attached was a really enjoyable watch! I particularly liked the way imaginary friends are portrayed as beings that actually exist, have lives, thoughts and emotions of their own, outside of their child's imagination. Ex doesn't speak, other than with short sentences on cue cards, but it's clear that he's increasingly distressed by the situation, despite only wanting what's best for Izzy.

From a cinematographic and soundtrack point of view, the whole thing is shot in black & white and the music is very 50's/60's pop/girl group ballad-esque. Both of these give the film a nostalgic yet unreal quality. 

The Brain Hack

Title: The Brain Hack (2015)

Director:  Joseph White

Language: English (UK)

Genre: Sci-fi, thriller

Runtime: 20 minutes

Plot: A theology/engineering student and a film student work together to create "the best film ever made", the results of which could be world-altering.

Thoughts: This was an interesting film that had quite a unique storyline. It builds on the idea that those who have certain neurological conditions, such as epilepsy, are able to "see god" or at least perceive the true nature of everything. This is because of what the pair describe as a "brain hack", which they want to induce in everyone through film. There were points during the short when things that happened to them seemed too unrealistic, but the last 5 minutes explained everything. I'd like to say more, but don't want to spoil it for anyone who decides to watch.

The Fisherman / 漁夫 

Title: The Fisherman / 漁夫 (2015)

Director:  Alejandro Suárez Lozano

Language: Cantonese

Genre: Creature horror, comedy

Runtime: 20 minutes

Plot: Wong is a fisherman in Hong Kong, struggling to make a living. One night, he leaves the heavily trafficked waters of the harbour and fish in calmer waters. When he catches something from another world, he dreams of making money from it and thinks his fortunes have changed.

Thoughts: This was a pretty decent film - the effects were great - and was worth watching. The plot was a fairly standard creature feature/alien creature plot, but it was entertaining and at times amusing as well. The only problem I had with it was that I didn't like Wong much, so didn't really empathise with his troubles or feel bad for him when he was fighting the creatures. However, the ending was quite unexpected and it made the whole thing better!

The Sad Man

Title: The Sad Man (2015)

Director:  Jake Lava

Language: None (only a soundtrack plays)

Genre: Horror, animation

Runtime: 3.5 minutes

Plot: A strange character wonders a desolate city alone until he meets an unusual little girl.

Thoughts: The "Sad Man" character reminded me a lot of Salad Fingers crossed with the forest spirits (Princess Mononoke) and No Face (Spirited Away), all of which I love, so I appreciated this short a lot. The soundscape and sparse use of colour both add to the post-apocalyptic, creepy vibe of the whole thing. When he meets the little girl, and it seems that she's equally as bizarre/disturbed as him, their friendship is uncomfortably fun to watch. However, the ending explains why he's actually so alone.

Symmetropia

Title: Symmetropia (2017)

Director:  Zachary Davis

Language: English (US)

Genre: Sci-fi, horror

Runtime: 7 minutes

Plot: A psychiatrist takes his patient out to a wood full of symmetrical trees in order to cure the patient's fear of symmetry. Then things take an unexpected turn...

Thoughts: The plot of Symmetropia is quite unique, due to the way in which the plot unfolds. Even though over half of the film is just spent watching the patient walk through the woods with a blindfold on, whilst listening to a tape of his one of his therapy sessions, it's actually intriguing as I wanted to find out what was going to happen next. And when you do eventually find out what's going on, it's great. Also, watch right until the end as there's another scene after the credits as well.

And with that, my short film-watching goal is complete!

101 in 1001: Watch 20 Short Films (1-10)

Over the past few months I've been watching lots of films that are under 40 minutes long for the 101 in 1001 goal:

• 069. Watch 20 short films.

My watching choices were decided by keyword searches, intriguing looking thumbnails, random related finds, and just arbitrarily choosing things on a whim. Hopefully that means that I haven't ended up with twenty films that are all the same. Thanks goes to my friend Kei for linking me to the My French Film Festival site, where I watched all of the French shorts. And with that, in no particular order, here are the first ten films:

Short film 'Teaspoon'

Title: Teaspoon (2015)

Director: Aban Bharucha Deohans

Language: Hindi

Genre: Family drama, drama

Runtime: 20 minutes

Plot: Kavita, husband Rajiv and his father, live together in an apartment. Kavita works from home as a cosmetics company representative and takes care of Rajiv's elderly, disabled father, whilst Rajiv travels a lot for his work. Due to her father-in-law, Kavita can rarely leave the house, as he cannot be left alone. When her father-in-law wants something, he has a habit of frequently tapping a teaspoon loudly, even if it's often just to complain or to have attention, rather than because actually needing anything. He never does it when Rajiv is home, and so Kavita's husband cannot understand her frustration.  Due to this, the couple have an argument over dinner one night, which leads the story to take a darker turn.

Thoughts: This is very much a story about the way in which stress, lack of understanding, feeling powerless/trapped, and isolation can lead someone to do something completely out of their nature, which they ultimately regret/feel guilty over. The characters and their relationships were well-developed, the plot made sense and it had a conclusion that was sad, but somehow inevitable. The acting was a little shaky/melodramatic at times, but overall it was a good film.

Short film 'Nu'

Title: Nu [Now] (2003)

Director: Simon Staho

Language: Swedish

Genre: Drama, experimental

Runtime: 29 minutes

Plot: A man and a woman meet in early 1960's and marry due to societal expectations. They have genuine affection for one another, but don't know how to interact, neither emotionally nor sexually, and they grow distant, even after having a child together. The husband meets another man and the two begin an affair. The wife is distraught, leading to distressing consequences.

Thoughts: The film is largely without dialogue, switches between the present (when they are much older) and the past, and has some experimental scenes. However, the plot is still very easy to understand and the film manages to convey emotion and interactions, even without dialogue. The acting is fairly solid and the cinematography is beautiful.

Short animation, 'World of Tomorrow'

Title: World of Tomorrow (2015)

Director: Don Hertzfeldt

Language: English

Genre: Sci-fi, drama, comedy, animation

Runtime: 17 minutes

Plot: A little girl is taken to her distant future, where a clone of herself gives her a tour of the "wonders" and technology of the time.

Thoughts: The animation style and Emily Prime's way of thinking/talking is simplistic, but effective. It contrasts well with the somewhat disturbing future world, being presented to a child not fully comprehending what is happening. The main character's voice actor was the director's four-year-old niece, who he recorded whilst she was playing, and built into the storyline. This means the dialogue is really natural and her responses to questions are exactly how a child that age would react. It brings comedy to an otherwise bleak view of things, which is very enjoyable.

'Belle à croquer', short film

Title: Belle à croquer [Delectable You] (2015)

Director: Axel Courtière

Language: French

Genre: Romance, comedy, surreal

Runtime: 15 minutes

Plot: Oscar Mongoût (play on words of "mon goût", French for "my taste") a gourmet cannibal, falls in love with his neighbour, Melle Carotte (Miss Carrot). However, when he finds out that she is a vegetarian, he becomes distressed as he has a phobia of vegetables. Miss Carrotte invites Oscar over for dinner one evening, and things take a dramatic turn.

Thoughts: The colourful cinematography and whimsical set design/costuming in this film are absolutely gorgeous! I suits the mood of the film well - bizarre, funny and quirky. Also, here is very little dialogue, but the feelings of the characters are made evident through facial expression, body language, and even use of music. It reminded me somewhat of old silent movies, but brought into glorious technicolour. Some of the themes in the film (semi-stalking, murder, cannibalism etc.) are actually quite dark, but the whole thing somehow manages to stay light-hearted and amusing.

'Ettertanke', short film

Title: Ettertanke [Afterthought] (20??)

Director: Axel Courtière

Language: Norwegian

Genre: Family drama, drama

Runtime: 7 minutes

Plot: Thomas struggles to reach out to his father, and to let go of a time long gone.

Thoughts: This is a very short film, but it manages to tell a fairly interesting story during that time. The pacing can seem a little slow at first, but it was necessary for character / situation establishing. For much of this film, it seems like Thomas is simply a discontent young man having problems with his family. However, during the last few minutes the truth is revealed and it completely changes all the scenes that have preceded it. 

'Uncanny Valley' short

Title: Uncanny Valley (2015)

Director: Federico Heller

Language: English

Genre: Sci-fi, dystopian

Runtime: 9 minutes

Plot: "In the slums of the future, virtual reality junkies satisfy their violent impulses in online entertainment. An expert player discovers that the line between games and reality is starting to fade away." (3DAR's Vimeo)

Thoughts: The documentary style interviews with the players are a clever way of exploring the problems with the future society and each person's motivations for entering the virtual world, without overtly including it the film. The idea of blurring the lines between reality and the games is done very well, as at the end you're left unsure which people/characters really existed and which were simply virtual constructs. The soundtrack sounded very much like an action game soundtrack in places, which also helped to set the mood of explored ideas.

Short film, 'Planet ∞'

Title: Planet ∞ (2017) [Alt. title: Planet Infinity]

Director: Momoko Seto

Language: N/A

Genre: Sci-fi, virtual reality, animation

Runtime: 7 minutes

Plot: "In a world in ruins, only fungi and mold grow among gigantic carcasses of dried-out insects. A meteorological change takes place as rain irrigates the barren planet, progressively flooding it. A new ecosystem grows in the water, in which giant carnivorous tadpoles thrive."

Thoughts: This was an interesting film to watch/experience. Throughout the various futuristic and fantastic environments you're able to move the camera around 360 degrees, enabling you to look at/focus on whatever you wish throughout. From giant fungi to ladybird rain to giant sea monsters, it's a fascinating world to explore and no two times watching it are the same.

'Ámame por siempre' short

Title: Please Love Me Forever (2016) 

Director: Holy Fatma

Language: French

Genre: Romance, fantasy, horror

Runtime: 27 minutes

Plot: Lili, a 14-year-old albino girl, lives alone with her mother Claudie, who keeps her from the outside world under the guise of protecting her (from the sun and other people). Claudie is image-obsessed and replaces the aging parts of her face frequently, in her operating lab. Lili is forbidden from leaving the house, but manages to befriend her neighbour Lyesse. Lili dreams of being with Lyesse forever, but her intense love scares him and he rejects her. Isolated from the world, with only her mother's twisted worldview to guide her, Lili's devastation over the rejection leads her to take drastic measures to find out why Lysse doesn't love her...

Thoughts: The visuals in this film are enchanting and it looks quite beautiful. It's a horror with a fairytale-esque feel and some touches of body horror thrown in for good measure. But it isn't overly graphic and really it's a story about a girl who just wants to be loved. Lysse is only 16, which explains his less than subtle reaction to Lili's confession. Also, he tries to be her friend at first, even when he sees some very odd things at her house, and doesn't intentionally hurt her. So he didn't deserve what happened to him at all. Despite what Lili ends up doing, I felt bad for her too, because she genuinely doesn't understand that what she's doing is wrong until it's too late. 

Controller short

Title: Controller (控制者) (2012) 

Director: Saman Kesh

Language: Chinese (Mandarin)

Genre: Sci-fi, action, romance

Runtime: 8 minutes

Plot: A girl that can control everything, perpetrates her own rescue by taking control of her boyfriend.

Thoughts: The plot was intriguing and action scenes and soundtrack were entertaining and I liked the ending. Also, the flashbacks of her relationship with her boyfriend were important for character building and to help the audience to care about the two of them, so I can understand why so many of them were included. However, whilst I realise that the film was only 8 minutes long, it would have been nice to have more information about why the girl was able to control everything in the first place. Apparently this short is being made into a full-length movie, so hopefully there will be more details and explanations in that. It was still an enjoyable watch though!

Short film 'The Birch'

Title: The Birch (2016) 

Director: Ben Franklin, Anthony Melton

Language: English

Genre: Horror, folk horror

Runtime: 5 minutes

Plot: "A bullied schoolboy takes drastic measures against his tormentor, summoning an ancient being in the woods using a spellbound book passed down through the generations of his family."

Thoughts: I adored the sound and effects/creature design in this short! Both were used sparingly throughout, but brought to the forefront of the film for the ending. This made it a great horror short that told a creepy story with both limited time and sparse dialogue.

And that concludes this section of the short film posts; I'll post the last 10 very soon!