ONLY THE BEST SHORT FILMS
Film of the Week: Locked In
Locked In by Gioacchino Petronicce (2018) (Italy) (8m)
Locked In is a nightmarish piece with compelling visuals and an arresting soundtrack. It tells the simple story of a man waking in his car in an underground car park and discovering he is locked inside it. When he sees a little girl at a vending machine not far from him he sees an opportunity to be rescued. However, even if he escapes his car, can he really escape what put him there in the first place? Locked In offers no reason as to why the man is trapped but that was a deliberate choice by the filmmaker.
Lost & Found by Slabe and Goldsmith ('18) (Australia) (8m) *
Lost & Found follows two knitted toys, a dragon and a fox, who have built a life for themselves after being left behind in a Japanese restaurant. However, when the female fox falls into a barrel of water, the only way the dragon can save is apparently through an act of suicide. The fox is determined not to let the dragon sacrifice himself for her. What will be the outcome in this high-stakes story?
I Am An Actress by Benoit Lach (2014) (France) (8m)
Written by Frenchmen Benoit Lach and Vincent Lafortune, and directed by the former, I Am An Actress (Je Suis Une Actrice) is a simple but thought-provoking black comedy about a wannabe actress desperate to impress a director when she goes to what she thinks is an audition in ther latter's Paris apartment. Made in 2014, this is not a #metoo film. Rather, the director is a woman who appears to be more interested in demeaning the actress than abusing her.
Hedgehog's Home by Eva Cvijanovic (2017) (Canada) (10m)
Hedgehog's Home tells the story of a hedgehog who is invited to dinner by a fox. However, it is not the fox's intent to eat the hedgehog. Instead, the fox wants to know what makes the hedgehog's home so appealing to the hedgehog. He thus follows the hedgehog home, picking up a wolf, a bear and a hog along the way. When they find the hedgehog's home is nothing more than a hole under a tree, the wolf, bear and hog are quick to ridicule the spiky creature.
8 by Acim Vasic (2010) (Serbia/ Swiss) (9m) *
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! Written and directed by Acim Vasic, 8 was the winner of the fourth FILMSshort competition and is a masterful example of how to create a film with no dialogue.
The Naughty List by Paul Campion (2016) (USA) (9m)
A competition finalist, The Naughty List reminds us that Santa Claus will visit all the world's children on Christmas Eve, even if the child in question - Vince - is an adult mobster hiding out with his partner-in-crime in a secluded cabin. The problem is that Vince's partner does not believe in Santa Claus and, fearing the stranger could be a hitman, is tempted to put a slug in him. For his part, Santa Claus is no saint, but how will this unusual situation end, and will the rest of the world's children get their presents tonight?
Knick-Knack by John Lasseter (1989) (USA) (3m) *
Six years before he changed cinema with the release of his animated feature Toy Story, John Lasseter made Knick-Knack, which is not explicitly a Christmas short film, but feels like one because it centres on a snowman stuck in a snow globe. Desparate to join the other toys on the fun end of the shelf, our hero employs all manner of tactics to escape his glass surroundings but to little avail. Can he escape his prison?
The Disappearance of Willie Bingham by Matt Richards (2015) (Aus) (12m)
A winner in the FILMSshort competition, The Disappearance of Willie Bingham is a truly disturbing short film. The eponymous Willie is languishing in prison having killed a wife and mother. Unfortunately, the criminal justice system allows for his victim's family to demand that Willie have a limb amputated as part of his punishment. Willie can then be used as an example to Australian children not to partake in crime. However, the victim's family can demand the removal of another limb. And another.
Fred by Leftchannel (2016) (USA) (1m) *
The short comedy Fred, a fantastic computer animation, was a winner in the FILMSshort competition. Fred is a short short that tells the story of two ingenious mice, a wedge of cheese and a feline called Fred. The highly-skilled mice come up with a cunning plan to get past the sleeping Fred but they unfortunately wake him. Fred mistakes their attempts to bypass him as an invitation to dance. And Fred has some moves!
