Simon King’s The Rise of Whore Betsy is a Western-style tale of a woman left for dead and the little girl who brings her back to life. The film follows Betsy as she learns more about her saviour, Eliza, and prepares to avenge wrongs perpetrated on both of them. Set in 1880s Oregon, the film… Continue reading The Rise of Whore Betsy: A Plot Towards Revenge in the Wild West
Tag: Drama
The Rest Cure: Malevolence as a Reaction
Andreas Graf’s The Rest Cure, based on Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper, takes a turn towards horror in adapting the story of a 19th century woman suffocating in her oppressive marriage. Adapted into a screenplay by Claudette Jones, the 19-minute long film follows Alice as she slowly evolves in reaction to her controlling husband… Continue reading The Rest Cure: Malevolence as a Reaction
Sweet Street: Industry of Humiliation
Coz Greenop’s Sweet Street examines the failure of the state through the life of its protagonist. Set in England, the film follows Isabella, who does not have the luxury of separating her work from her personal life. The consequences have her trapped in a cycle from which escape is anything but easy. Isabella (Ariadna Cabrol)… Continue reading Sweet Street: Industry of Humiliation
Hope En Route: Everyday Duty and its Ripples through a Pandemic
Des Matelske’s Hope En Route (co-written with Jeremy Marshall) is a product of hindsight. Depicting the actions of a truck driver during the pandemic, the film imbues its scenes with precious hindsight which transform innocuous instances into significant moments. The protagonist is Dan (Daren Matelske), a truck driver and heavy smoker who goes from day… Continue reading Hope En Route: Everyday Duty and its Ripples through a Pandemic
The Beachcombers: A Collection of Treasures
Peter Naylor’s The Beachcombers is a 7-minute film based on a poem by Jon Lawrence and narrated by Emilia Fox. The poem, an ode to childhood and parents who populate them, narrates the story of Bronwyn and her father’s beachcombing routine and the ways people leave themselves behind for others. The film is a visual… Continue reading The Beachcombers: A Collection of Treasures
Sofa Surfer: What a Night Without a Home Can Do
Michele Olivieri’s Sofa Surfer is a drama about a homeless man with nowhere to go for the night. Thirteen minutes long, the film follows him as he tries to stay off the streets and stay sober. It is the middle of winter. Rob (Tom Dayton) usually circulates between his friends’ and acquaintances’ homes for shelter… Continue reading Sofa Surfer: What a Night Without a Home Can Do
Land of Nod: A Refiguration of Jeanne d’Arc
Josh Massarotti’s 12-minute Land of Nod briefly portrays the eve of Joan of Arc’s execution, directly referencing the 1928 The Passion of Joan of Arc. Featuring only Jeanne and one member of the Church, the film takes a more modern approach but does not abandon its roots. The sole Inquisitor (Reece Mitchell) appears as a… Continue reading Land of Nod: A Refiguration of Jeanne d’Arc
Mei: Living with Mental Illness and an Unsympathetic Family
Leanne Bailham’s Mei, co-written by Bailham, Barbara Vonau, and Cat Watson, depicts the struggle of the eponymous character with depression while doing her best to keep up appearances for her strict mother. The opening sequence presents a disjunctive portrait of Mei through a series of closeups. Her hands, her hair, her reflection in a mirror,… Continue reading Mei: Living with Mental Illness and an Unsympathetic Family
Let Tomorrow Be: Love and Duty Collide Again
Peter Nogueira’s Let Tomorrow Be unfolds a drama between two siblings, one an official of the law and the other, a criminal. The two worlds come together with only disaster as the predicted result, yet when the characters waver on this predestined path, uncertainty takes rein. Cara Ward (Samantha Valletta) is a cop. Weighed down… Continue reading Let Tomorrow Be: Love and Duty Collide Again
Absolute Power: Structures of Power and Their Preservation
Isaac Suero’s Absolute Power demonstrates not how absolute power corrupts, but how it reveals. Written by James Roche, the 20-minute film centres on a dinner between old friends, with things going wrong before the plot has even begun. Three couples populate the world of Absolute Power. A white heterosexual couple (JD Martin, Emma Orelove), the… Continue reading Absolute Power: Structures of Power and Their Preservation