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!
