Elijah Noble El serves as writer, director, actor, DP, editor, and co-producer for his 15-minute drama, Goodbye and Goodnight. Centred on a young man struggling with sex addiction and the internalized issues it brings with it, the film uses his therapy session as its main driving force. The session, and his interaction with his therapist, is… Continue reading Goodbye and Goodnight: Talking Through Addiction And Self-Destruction
Author: Indie Shorts Mag Team
Floppy Toast with Drippy Butter: The Unmatched Power of Human Connection
Paul Stainthorpe’s 16-minute drama Floppy Toast with Drippy Butter (co-written with Simon Jefferson), highlights bullying, abuse and suicide, its childlike title speaking to the young age and vulnerability of its teenaged protagonist, Chloe. At its heart though, the film is a reminder and guide towards hope, personified in supporting character Alice. Alice (Rhiannon Jones) comes across Chloe (Ellie Bindman) at her most vulnerable, staring over the bridge at the river below,… Continue reading Floppy Toast with Drippy Butter: The Unmatched Power of Human Connection
Picnic Under A Gibbet: Morbidly Funny, Scarily Familiar Epidemic Satire
If they had to argue, the two characters of Richard Corso’s satire, Picnic Under A Gibbet (adapted by Rebecca Gorman O’Neill from Gregory Ferbrache’s short story) would probably agree—though they prefer to be on opposite sides on most other subjects—that picnicking under an old, rotting corpse was just the cherry on top of a darkly amusing tale.… Continue reading Picnic Under A Gibbet: Morbidly Funny, Scarily Familiar Epidemic Satire
The Ark: Tense Sci-Fi Thriller Grounded In Humanity
As it opens, Benjamin South’s The ARK, written by A.M. Khalifa (and based on his short story), presents itself as a crime thriller, only set in the future. To unlock car doors, you need palm prints, that sort of thing. Futuristic, but still very much a credible, familiar world. It opens with the two main characters, Herbert… Continue reading The Ark: Tense Sci-Fi Thriller Grounded In Humanity
A Father’s Job: Highlighting The Psychological Horror Of The Holocaust
The sheer number of holocaust films speaks directly to the magnitude of the atrocity. The purposes have varied, from expression of deep rage, or wanting to honour the victims, or to heal wounds that have taken root. Frank Christian Wagner’s A Father’s Job honours a particular subset of victims, and in doing so, exposes just… Continue reading A Father’s Job: Highlighting The Psychological Horror Of The Holocaust
Sleepwalker: A Documentary Of Regret
Sleepwalker, Andrea Yu-Chieh Chung’s 9-minute documentary on the Sunflower Movement in Taiwan, is a very personal essay that examines the fear and grief of having a home in turmoil. But what makes it particularly personal and specific is Chung’s regret at having sleepwalked through the period, thriving in the safety of her insulated world. This regret becomes the… Continue reading Sleepwalker: A Documentary Of Regret
Cuello: A Slice Of Perilous Life
Sebastian Ortiz Wilkins’s Cuello, co-written with Moheb Jindran, witnesses a chain reaction that is set off with one man’s impulsive acts of empathy and mercy. There are no heroes painted here, yet the effects of those impulses ripple through the lives of many and for years. The story, based on true events, runs on three threads. Ricardo’s neat… Continue reading Cuello: A Slice Of Perilous Life
Fleeting Nirvana: Channels Of Calm In Turbulent Waters
Michael Phoenix’s Fleeting Nirvana takes a contrasting approach to its subject. Though it deals with mental illness and suicide, there is an odd, captivating calm to the film. The title alludes to a brief scene in the film, where Charlie (played by Phoenix) talks about what he terms as ‘blue hour’ with his partner Ally (Allison Pittel).… Continue reading Fleeting Nirvana: Channels Of Calm In Turbulent Waters
Cycle: Warmth As A Remedy To Despair
Part III of the Kōan series, Cycle, is the most wholesome of the three. Its 2-minute runtime somehow appropriately reflects the idea it presents: the transient nature of life. You are here one second, and the next you are not. But Cycle, written by director Pak H. Chau and Rohan Ponniah, goes deeper than that, even with a narrative as short and simple as… Continue reading Cycle: Warmth As A Remedy To Despair
Pursuit of Heavens: Good Animation And The Basics Of Philosophy
Part II of the Kōan series, Pursuit of Heavens (written by Erik Chimil and Pak H. Chau) mirrors its predecessor, serving philosophical debates in bite-sized pieces. Here, director Pak H. Chau flirts with philosophy and physics, the protagonist going down a path to try and find a definitive answer to “Why?”. Why do we have to be good, he asks during a lesson in religion. As… Continue reading Pursuit of Heavens: Good Animation And The Basics Of Philosophy