Whilst Sundance is starting to happen, I was still spending the previous week watching a few short films and it would be a shame not to highlight them. I ended up watching three shorts before the start of the festival, and here are my thoughts and mini reviews on all of them.
Flick
Director: Ariel Zengotita
Writer: Ariel Zengotita
Starring: Nate Pringle
Synopsis: A reclusive college student is driven mad after picking a booger he can’t flick away.
Body horror shorts are a common genre, and yet a fantastic way of learning the craft of filmmaking. Whilst there are some stylistic choices that I really enjoyed with Flick, I was sadly disappointed by the film itself. The simple narrative is dragged on for the ten-minute runtime and tries to add personality to our lead character through unnecessary means, such as the phone calls from his mum. If the film was tighter, more focused on the body horror itself and got to the point quicker, this would have been a stronger film.
You can watch Flick on Short of the Week.
Rating: 2 out of 5.
Father and Daughter
Director: Michael Dudok de Wit
Writer: Michael Dudok de Wit
Synopsis: A father says goodbye to his young daughter. In time the daughter grows old, but within her there is always a deep longing for her father.
A beautiful animation which won the Oscar for Animated Short back in 2001. The animation style itself is charming, and it’s got a lot of personality within it. The story itself is beautiful, told simply and with a gut-punch of emotions by the end. Whilst it did not have to be as long as it was to get the full effect, it is so easy to fall in love with this short and become connected to the characters and their story, even with no words and little action.
You can watch Father and Daughter on YouTube.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Locker Room
Director: Greta Nash
Writer: Greta Nash
Starring: Bridie Noonan, Max Stephens, Charlie Hannaford
Synopsis: A teenage girl discovers her male friends’ secret group chat, forcing her to question her friendship with them.
A solid story that has strong themes throughout. This short is one that has a strong message and stands by it, as well as building up tension throughout the film. There are some good editing techniques used throughout, helping bring the story to life. I do feel like the film drags on a bit longer than it needs to and there are certain scenes that don’t work as well as anticipated, but I would still encourage people to check this short out.
You can watch Locker Room on YouTube.
Rating: 3 out of 5.
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