Category: Reviews

How well do you get along with your siblings? Are they troublemakers or troubleshooters? Regardless, sibling bonds are bittersweet; just like in ours, ‘The Audition (West of Broadway)’. John and Stephen’s brotherhood takes many turns, sometimes for the worse, but never running out of humour! ‘The Audition’ is one of the shorts from the series… Continue reading ‘The Audition’ Is A Comedy Short On Two Brothers!

‘Windward Spirits’ is a fictional short film that focuses on the story of Warlan and his crew as they escape the clutches of the King’s armies and the nomadic desert warriors who are out for their head.  The film has a very medieval look and genuinely feels like a period piece. There is a lot… Continue reading ‘Windward Spirits’: A Medieval Fantasy With Good Music

Laurie Barraclough’s second short film, ‘Clementines’, is a small stop on a long, winding journey to take a moment and turn memories over and examine them for a while, before the present beckons again.   ‘Clementines’ follows two step-sisters who meet again after years at their father’s funeral. While one is more grounded and restrained,… Continue reading Clementines: Somewhere in Southern France, A Love Story

The art of conversation has been entirely lost. So has man’s spine (Read incorrect posture from staring into one’s phone for too long)! True that smartphones have brought mankind closer, but not without dumping its fair share of pitfalls. This perilous withdrawal of the world into a virtual kaleidoscope leads our young, brave protagonist, Jordan,… Continue reading Swiped: Wickedly Funny Offering A Much-Needed Dig At The World!

A theatrically designed silent film about people’s need for autonomy – something that is so primarily human – goes, well, not quite right. Director Elizabeth Soto-Lara’s ‘Alba’ portrays the eponymous heroine as a marionette, controlled by her family, who wants her to stick to the path of award-winning baking. Award-winning though it may be, Alba (played… Continue reading Alba: What Cutting Off Toxic Ties Could Have Looked Like

Niu Mengchen’s Besieged is a short film that deals with a sensitive topic in a very mature way. The film manages to fit in a complex story in 24 minutes while creating an absorbing drama that is worth watching many times over. It takes the concept of sibling rivalry and jealousy and turns it into… Continue reading ‘Besieged’: A Complex Narrative, Enthralling Music & Striking Performances

Automation, coupled with the advancing of innovation and technology is sure to wean people off the service industry. While it’s a prospect many are looking forward to, is it all as rosy as it seems? Sure, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has its own perks. But, haven’t we already come far ahead wherein the pitfalls seem to… Continue reading Number 13 Warns You Of The Likely Winner In Man Vs Machine!

Whatever be the reason, split personality disorder (or more appropriately, dissociative identity disorder) has found its place almost solely in crime dramas. Another addition to that long list of films is Ernesto Sandoval’s ‘The Voice Within’, an 11-minute short that follows the trials and tribulations of Catherine (her main alter being Angelina). Catherine (Laurie Henderson,… Continue reading ‘The Voice Within’: Good On The Technical Front, Weak On The Story

Jaime Herrera Jr’s ‘The Baby Farmer’ is a bewildering 15-minute short. A dishevelled, barefoot, bruised woman contends with her captor who holds her mentally hostage, as well as her own gigantic worm-like baby who drinks her blood. From the little backstory we are granted, Jennifer is presumably a teacher, has two human boys, and an… Continue reading ‘The Baby Farmer’: Not Outright Horror, But Creepy Enough to Hold Attention