ONLY THE BEST SHORT FILMS
Film Of The Week: An Ostrich Told Me The World Is Fake...
An Ostrich... by Lachlan Pendragon (2022) (Australia) (11m)
Nominated for the Best Short Animation Oscar in 2023. This animation not so much breaks the fourth wall as frames the whole film within it in a mind-bending Kaufmanesque melange of metaness (it strangely reminds me of Synecdoche, New York). We are told we are watching a fake world from the beginning, but that does not stop us wanting an animated character to break free from his imprisonment.
The Tunnel by Andre Ovredal (2016) (Norway) (15m)
Adapted from the short story The Tunnel Ahead , The Tunnel is a futuristic suspense thriller/horror. A Norwegian family have spent the afternoon at the beach - where they were allowed one hour in the water - and are now returning to their overpopulated city in their self-driving car via one of the tunnels, the only way in and out of the metropolis. However, the tunnels are also used for population control...
Coffee Name by Ed Wiles (2024) (UK) (1m)
Coffee Name explores (through comedy) racial politics and unconscious bias after a misunderstanding between a barista and a patron. It satirises the fear white people have of causing offense, especially the discomfort many feel saying the word "black" in front of black people. This may be unique to British sensibilities, but there seems to be similar anxieties in the US at least.
Cindy's New Boyfriend by Robert Brinkmann (2015) (USA) (23m)
Written by Sean Sellars and directed by Robert Brinkmann, the comic Cindy's New Boyfriend was a finalist in in the 9th competition. Cindy is the ex-girlfriend of Spencer, who persuades his friend Nick that he should use his acting talent to scare off Cindy's new boyfriend. However, things go wrong when Cindy's new boyfriend turns out to be a man not easily scared. Brinkmann is better known as a cinematographer, shooting such films as The Cable Guy.
Variations On A Theme by Peter Collins Campbell (2023) (US) (8m)
A twist on previous films that explore cloning, like the classic short Copy Shop (2001), a young couple is splitting to produce clones of themselves, which allows this nicely-made grounded sci-fi to explore a relationship rather than the usual sense of exceptionalism (from which most humans suffer). It's also reminscent of the super low budget but excellent feature film Coherence (2014) and is very much on trend with its lowkey vibe.
Call Me Mommy by Erickson & Washington (2023) (USA) (13m)
Call Me Mommy is a black comedy about a struggling actress (Erickson) being hired to act out the stages of childhood so a pregnant woman can prepare for motherhood. It reminds me very much a short film - the name of which escapes me - about a man paying actors to give him a childhood experience. There's much to admire in Call Me Mommy, especially the acting. There are some funny moments, though it is perhaps more whimsical than outright funny.
Goodbye by Tyler Russo (2015) (USA) (7m)
This CGI animation is simply brilliant. It could be classed as a horror, but is more disturbing than horrific. Having been killed in a road accident, a man finds himself bodiless and faced with a group of gatekeepers, who were once human but are now something else. It is the job of the gatekeepers to interview the man and decide upon a suitable vocation for eternity; and he should surely try to avoid becoming a gatekeeper.
Heading South by Yuan Yuan (2020) (China/USA) (13m)
The drama follows Chasuna, a Mongolian girl who stays the night with her father in Beijing to celebrate his birthday and to collect alimony. Beginning and ending on the steppe, it brings to mind the feature documentary The Eagle Huntress, though no one told the horse not to look at camera. It is an effective drama with superb acting and nice moments (like how differently dogs are treated) reminiscent of Lynne Ramsay.
Norm by Miguel Endara (2017) (USA) (13m)
In world where rape is legal, two men return from a drunken night out and encounter a sober housemate, who is part of the minority that believes in consensual sex and is thus there to be mocked and taunted. It is, of course, addressing the argument made by the majority who support the killing of animals for us to consume and their attitude towards the minority who believe we should not do this: the argument being that other animals eat animals so it therefore natural for us to do likewise.
Invincible by Vincent Rene-Lortie (2022) (Canada) (30m)
A young man in a young offenders institute dreams of freedom but his rebellious streak makes it unlikely. The opening scene gives away the ending, in a similar way to the feature film Carlito's Way (1993). The production values, directing, cinematography and acting are all superb, as is the whole mise-en-scene (linguistic pun intended), with water used to denote freedom (of course not an uncommon motif with its baptismal connotations).
