EXPERIMENTAL SHORT FILMS - 2

Four more of the best experimental short films from around the world.


Please Say Something

Please Say Something by David O'Reilly (2008) (Ireland) (10m)

It actually took me a while to work out which was the man and which was the woman in this slightly experimental and somewhat earnest animation about domestic violence. I think its other-worldly weirdness - and animators tend to lead the way in this type of weirdness - is part of its engaging quality and there is at least a fairly clear narrative. It won O'Reilly the Golden Bear for Best Short Film in 2009.


We Have Decided Not To Die by Daniel Askill (2004) (Aus) (10m) *

Written and directed by Australian filmmaker Daniel Askill, now best known for directing fellow Australian Sia's music videos (Chandelier, Elastic Heart), We Have Decided Not To Die is a bold, mesmeric experimental short with a throbbing soundtrack that performed well on the short film festival circuit. Askill also performs in the film, being the man seen in the second ritual. As with most experimental short films, you can read as much or as little into it as you want, but it seems to be fairly simple selection of visual metaphors.


Belly Button by David Hewitt (2004) (UK) (10m)

Written and directed by David Hewitt, the comic short film Belly Button did well on the short film festival circuit. There are definitely echoes of the 1997 BAFTA-winning French short Majorettes In Space, especially as both note the fact that dogs lack an awareness of their own mortality, but Belly Button has a different, more personal tone. It does also cross several genres, being both comic and to some extent experimental.


My Heart Laid Bare by Yi Zhou (2008) (Italy) (7m)

My Heart Laid Bare is an unusual short from Italy starring and co-written by Charlotte Gainsbourg (The Science Of Sleep, Antichrist) and directed by Chinese multimedia and installation artist Yi Zhou. We follow Gainsbourg as she walks along the docks and seafront and hear her stream-of-consciousness narration about an apparently lost love. Do not expect a story and it may not be everyone's cup of tea but I think it works pretty well for the type of film it is.

My Heart Laid Bare


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