ONLY THE BEST SHORT FILMS
Film Of The Week: Yes-People
Yes-People by Gísli Darri Halldórsson (2020) (Iceland) (8m)
Yes-People was nominated for the Best Short Oscar in 2021. It follows an assorted mix of characters from the same apartment block as they struggle through the day. Because they all live in the same building, the short reminds me of the animation Flatlife, which won at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004. The animation is expertly rendered and the characterisation is nice but there is nothing that stands out as demanding an Oscar nomination.
Punch-Drunk by Ketang and Liam White (2022) (UK) (13m)
Punch-Drunk is almost entirely told in one medium close-up shot, which focuses on Colin, a middle-aged Irishman living in Marseilles. A stranger engages him in a cafe, and as the conversation unfolds it becomes clear that it is no coincidence (of course it isn't). It is a courageous film, expertly acted, with a well-crafted script that suffers from just one moment of clunkiness. However, I would have loved the filmmakers to follow through on their courage.
Mis-drop by Ferend Peek (2013) (New Zealand) (14m)
I wanted to look back at the underrated sci-fi short film Mis-drop by Ferend Peek, a finalist in the FILMSshort competition some years ago. Set 300 years in the future, it is mainly told with one shot, which shows a new recruit taking part in his first "drop". His team are dropping from a spaceship onto an alien world they are colonising and mining. It is being watched back by a forensic accountant, who has to decide whether what went wrong was the fault of the rookie or not.
Appendage by Anna Zlokovic (2022) (USA) (6m)
A psychological horror short film, this Sundance film tells the story of a young fashion designer who struggles to stand up to her overbearing boss. Her self-doubt and anxiety manifests into physical form, which will remind viewers of a certain age of the original Total Recall movie. Its lack of subtlety makes me assume it's a black comedy, despite this not being explicit anywhere. Of course, it could all be an earnest exploration of whether one needs to conquer one's fears or use them to one's own benefit.
The Long Goodbye by Aneil Karia (2020) (UK) (12m)
Having won the Oscar, this goes back to the top. Eventually told in the form of a poem, the drama tells the story of an ordinary day in a British Asian family until a far right group comes for them. It displays fine filmmaking - and Ahmed is always great - but its conceit does grate a little with me: that a Brownshirt-like movement is cleansing ethnic families (as the Nazis once did) and these families are taking no precautions, nor receiving any help from the public.
Granddad Was A Romantic by Maryam Mohajer ('19) (UK) (5m)
This little seen BAFTA winner was created by British-Iranian animator Maryam Mohajer. It seems to be telling a Persian love story until a more earthy (perhaps British) sense of humour reveals itself. It is voiced by Maya Naraghi, who had collaborated with Mohajer on her previous short animation, Red Dress. No Straps, which also tells a Persian story from a child's point of view. I am not qualified to critique animation but I prefer this short to many of the more recent BAFTA winners due to its brevity and funny ending.
The Black Cop by Cherish Oteka (2021) (UK) (18m)
The Black Cop won the BAFTA for Best Short Film. It tells the story of Gamal Turawa, a gay black man who singed up for the for Met Police, which has been dogged by racism and homophobia. Turawa explores his career through the prism of three events: the resistance to racial profiling and the consequently oppressive policing, the push for LGBT rights and the African farming scandal, where white families took care of black children without oversight from local authorities. I haven't really got much to add.
The Neighbors' Window by Marshall Curry (2019) (USA) (20m)
With the Oscars fast approaching, here's another look at The Neighbors' Window - the last available winner. A middle-aged couple with young children see a young, partying couple move into the apartment opposite, and are immediately reminded of their own unexciting lives. So much so, that the stressed-out mother becomes obsessed with them. However, everyone faces personal struggles and, after the passing of several seasons, it becomes clear that the couple opposite are facing a traumatic event.
The Queen of Basketball by Ben Proudfoot (2021) (US) (22m)
Nominated for the Best Short Documentary Oscar. It tells the story of Lusia Harris, a black woman who led a predominantly white school in Mississippi to three successive championships in basketball, for which she had a natural gift (and being 6'3'' didn't hurt). The archive footage is impressive, showing how talented all the women are, with Lusia an icon to the others. She even led the American team at the Olympics, losing to the USSR in the final, before being invited to trial for a men's NBA team.
Souvenir Souvenir by Bastien Dubois (2020) (France) (16m)
The Sundance-winning Souvenir Souvenir is an animated documentary meta-movie exploring the filmmaker's attempts to learn about what his grandfather did in the Algerian War (1954-1962), a conflict which I knew little about but is apparently infamous for the crimes committed by French forces on Algerian civilians. Indeed, although the theme of the film is the veteran's unwillingness (or inability) to talk about the war, what little we do hear from an Algerian civilian is shocking and could signify more...
Stuffed by Theo Rhys (2021) (UK) (19m)
The BAFTA long-listed Stuffed is the first musical two-hander I have seen. But then I have seen relatively few short film musicals - indeed, only the Oscar winning West Bank Story springs to mind. It tells the story of a female taxidermist who wants to stuff a human and the man who volunteers to be said human. It is an impressive film with wonderful cinematrography from Piers McGrail. The whole thing is has the quality of Sweeney Todd.
8 by Acim Vasic (2010) (Serbia/ Swiss) (9m) *
A New Year tradition, 8 was the winner of the fourth FILMSshort competition (way back) and is a masterful example of how to create a film with no dialogue. Two soldiers from opposing armies (the naughts and the crosses) find themselves alone in a snowy forest. A game of cat and mouse ensues as the pendulum swings between them - but there are ultimately few winners in the game of war!
Argentine Tangos by Guy Thys (2006) (Belgium) (14m)
It's that time of the year where we tradionally show the best Christmas short film: Argentine Tangos (Tanghi Argentini). Nominated for a Best Short Film Oscar in 2008, Argentine Tangos is a beautiful comedy drama full of Christmas spirit. We follow a middle-aged office-worker trying to fulflil his Christmas passion and conceal a snowy-white lie. I promise you will thank me for showing it to you. It is in Dutch with English subtitles.
Short Calf Muscle by Victoria Warmerdam (2019) (Holl) (13m)
I'm not really sure what the message of the black comedy Short Calf Muscle (Korte Kuitspier) is but it is an intriguing view. I suspect it is saying that where we see a person as different, to the person it is normal and they are thus unaware of the difference (and can therefore not understand our prejudice). However, by the end I wanted to see what everyone else was seeing in the film. Does that make me prejudiced? Anyway, it is a very nicely made film and did well on the short film festival circuit.
