Nizar Nassar’s Yesod is a 26-minute sci-fi set centuries into the future. A wasteland dominates the frame. A solitary man negotiates the unforgiving landscape to continue surviving when little else has. But when company comes knocking, is it with his doom in tow? Having done away with dialogue, the film expresses itself wholly with its… Continue reading Yesod: A Sci-Fi Telling of the Past, Present and Future
Tag: Fantasy Short Film Review
Balloon: Conventions of Violence and Their By-Products
Through the superhero myth, Jeremy Merrifield’s Balloon, co-written with Dave Testa, explores the destructive forces that come into being in reaction to evil. Sam, a middle-schooler, finds out just what this means when he is relentlessly bullied by a classmate. But as the film shows, it is not one individual only that leads Sam to… Continue reading Balloon: Conventions of Violence and Their By-Products
Mara: A Spin On The Selkie Folklore
As the name implies, Uisdean Murray’s Mara: The Seal Wife features a selkie as one of its two main characters. Set in a desolate Scottish island, it portrays the separate but intertwined tragedies of the selkie and her human husband, one or both destined to meet heartbreak. Three timelines populate the narrative, spanning a period… Continue reading Mara: A Spin On The Selkie Folklore
Hardcore Halbert: A Boy And His Plant Come Of Age
Riley Lynch’s Hardcore Halbert (written by Craig Lief) brings together two discordant ideas that fall into place with ease. Halbert has a ficus and his new neighbour has an unconventional solution. When the two come together, it is more than the plant that finds hope. This is a coming of age story. Halbert (Jack Kilmer)… Continue reading Hardcore Halbert: A Boy And His Plant Come Of Age
The Screaming Worm of Tarshish: Retelling Of A Biblical Tale
This is a story of survival. A story of someone’s tumultuous journey from being a non-believer to an ardent advocate of the faith. But, above all else, it’s a humble attempt at addressing you, the audience directly in one of the oldest stories ever told. The story of Jonah and the whale remains the setting… Continue reading The Screaming Worm of Tarshish: Retelling Of A Biblical Tale
Unskin: A Mix Of Sci-Fi and Fantasy
Elcid Asaei’s Unskin is a work of science fiction which combines fantasy and urban myth with the grind of everyday life, the blend of which becomes intricately interconnected. A commentary on our capitalist society and our now ingrained apathy, it has you asking, Is one caused by the other? It opens with Roger, trudging through an interview… Continue reading Unskin: A Mix Of Sci-Fi and Fantasy
Gaia: Drawn To The Woods In Pursuit Of Catharsis
Hector Quijano’s fantasy short, Gaia is essentially an elaborate drug trip. Indeed, the opening sequence of this 13 has its unnamed protagonist take a potion, which leads to an extended hallucinatory state. The literal trip he then goes on is the main body of the film. The film functions within a no plot just vibes kind of situation. There… Continue reading Gaia: Drawn To The Woods In Pursuit Of Catharsis
Maximus: A Half-Fantasy Half-Drama Brimming With Gratitude, Kindness And Hope
With trauma comes coping mechanisms. While some of these scream danger, others are much more benign, and even make things objectively better. Richard Prendergast represents this latter possibility with his 16-minute drama Maximus, where a delightful little girl makes blossoms erupt over abject pain and suffering. Played by Maisie Prendergast, India is a tiny thing, barely 8.… Continue reading Maximus: A Half-Fantasy Half-Drama Brimming With Gratitude, Kindness And Hope
The Flying Fish: Experimental & Hypnotic, Murat Sayginer Invites You To A Digital Psychedelic Experience
At 21:22-minute, The Flying Fish is already in tempered waters. Animations usually aim for a shorter duration. And, topics such as these are seldom tried out without dialogues. But, writer-director Murat Sayginer takes his chances. And, he couldn’t have been luckier. Incredibly seductive, original in approach, and thought-provoking with its making, The Flying Fish offers… Continue reading The Flying Fish: Experimental & Hypnotic, Murat Sayginer Invites You To A Digital Psychedelic Experience
Something Round: The Surreal Quality Of Grief
We expect therapists to be sorted. Certainly, the people who solve our issues must have their own affairs in order, we believe, naively. Nikhail Asnani’s 17-minute short dispels that notion. At the centre of Something Round is a woman grieving unrequited love, only to let it fester into something deeper, more damaging. Three characters populate… Continue reading Something Round: The Surreal Quality Of Grief