Josh Pafchek’s 8-minute Divine Air dives into a surreal mode to chronicle the experience of a couple trying to get medical treatment for their sick child. The system is unhelpful and at times downright predatory. Faced with these constraints, the film creates a feeling of walls closing in—a maze so tight no car or plane… Continue reading Divine Air: Invisible Forces and the Inescapable Walls they Erect
Tag: Private
Closing Time: A Sci-Fi That Explores Regrets & Nostalgia Through Time Loop
Written and directed by Russell Goldman, Closing Time feels personal. Like an ode of sorts, to youth, to lost time, and to longing. Set in a time loop that cruises in and between 6 years, the near 20-minute long film delves into the human psyche, all through the eyes of young Trent (Caleb Foote) whose… Continue reading Closing Time: A Sci-Fi That Explores Regrets & Nostalgia Through Time Loop
Wrap Me in a Sheet: A Compelling Drama That Seamlessly Blends Exuberance and Fragility
Britt Harris and Molly Muse’s co-directorial debut, Wrap Me In A Sheet is a beautifully intimate journey towards healing from long years of trauma. Two sisters, armed with little besides their shared trauma and love, set out to reach the end of their suffering and if luck allows, a secret treasure. The film opens with a… Continue reading Wrap Me in a Sheet: A Compelling Drama That Seamlessly Blends Exuberance and Fragility
It Speaks!: A Sci-Fi For The Pandemic
It’s interesting that first timers, James Leggett and Kolé Mahoney would choose a subject like this. Set in the pandemic, in New York city, comes the story of three friends, roommates, essentially, who are not only stuck together because of the quarantine, but by their shared stories. In the 29:49-minute-long narrative, no time is lost… Continue reading It Speaks!: A Sci-Fi For The Pandemic
A Brush Of Violence: A Detailed Analysis Of An Artist’s Search For The Truth
What sets artists apart from the rest? What is the essence of art? When does the fine line between art and reality merge into an indefinable conundrum? Writer-director Daniel Lawrence Wilson’s A Brush Of Violence attempts to answer that and more. It raises poignant questions leaving the audience brooding over matters that are often overlooked in the… Continue reading A Brush Of Violence: A Detailed Analysis Of An Artist’s Search For The Truth
The Car Spotter: Old Love, New Hobbies, and Newfound Joys
Martin Sandin’s Bilskådaren (translated, The Car Spotter) is a 14-minute short reuniting Roy Andersson’s A Swedish Love Story actors, Ann-Sofie Kylin and Björn Andrésen. The plot, set in the languid countryside, plays with the hiccups of an old couple losing common ground. Peo (Mats Qviström) has dedicated himself to his new hobby, spotting cars. Sat by the lonely highway, Peo waits… Continue reading The Car Spotter: Old Love, New Hobbies, and Newfound Joys
Motherland: Weaponised Assumptions, and Those Who Use Them
Denise Khng’s Motherland is a tense drama about a parent-teacher meeting, while the child both occupies the periphery and is relegated to the sidelines. The inherent power structures inform the thematic exploration of truth and illusions within the intermingling dynamics of parent-child-teacher-school. For a large part of the 17-minute film, Sarah (Lim Shi-An) is left… Continue reading Motherland: Weaponised Assumptions, and Those Who Use Them
A Bad Romance: A Well-Done Recipe for a Bad Date and A Fork to Stick in it
Bex Bradshaw’s A Bad Romance is a quirky, dark romantic comedy that finds a fun narrative to locate within the date night gone wrong trope. The film opens with a series of shots of a vintage car in an abandoned parking lot, the driver going through cycles of emotion within a matter of minutes. From… Continue reading A Bad Romance: A Well-Done Recipe for a Bad Date and A Fork to Stick in it
Nativity: A Dystopian Future That Holds A Mirror To Present Day Sanctimony
Zach Kaplan’s Nativity jumps headlong into its futuristic premise—people in America in 2092 can now have custom-made babies ordered, on their preferred date to boot. The question of America for Americans is at the centre of the narrative, with unflattering questions that the film does not allow one to shirk and gloss over. The sterile… Continue reading Nativity: A Dystopian Future That Holds A Mirror To Present Day Sanctimony
Heather’s Voice: A Compelling Narrative Of A Futuristic Reality
Writer-director Shicong Zhu’s Heather’s Voice isn’t far from the distant future, nor unrealistic. Although a fictionalised account (probably) of a grief-stricken family that turns to AI to cope with their daughter’s loss; the film is astute in its depiction of the scientific progress made by mankind at the cost of human decency. A family has… Continue reading Heather’s Voice: A Compelling Narrative Of A Futuristic Reality