Peter Lee Scott’s His Name Was Gerry opens on a grim scene. A boy processing the death of his best friend. It is a violent process, involving several smashed pieces of furniture. But this is meant to be a comedy; the rug is pulled out from beneath you soon enough. It is heralded by a… Continue reading His Name Was Gerry: Processing Grief With Fireworks And Heartwarming Lightness
Tag: Private
Échale Ganas: Documentary Of Survival, Success And Family
Like the man himself, Échale Ganas: The Villa’s Taco Story is bursting with energy. The 30-minute documentary following Victor Villa and his pop-up taco stand, directed by Yumeng He, is as much about food as it is about home, and as much about entrepreneurship as about building community. Tying it all together is systemic inequality,… Continue reading Échale Ganas: Documentary Of Survival, Success And Family
Pragma: Love, Technology And Further Complicated Questions About Choices
One would not necessarily expect to be moved by a film about finding love through big data, and one would be wrong. Director Ellie Heydon achieves everything she sets up Pragma to be: funny, weird, oddly profound, and surprisingly moving. Written by and starring Lucy Heath, the 20-minute film weaves in these elements with skill… Continue reading Pragma: Love, Technology And Further Complicated Questions About Choices
The Gallerist: Memories Of A Gothic Romance
In his short film The Gallerist (written by Jesse Newman), Adam Holoubek invokes memory in all its subjective form. If one were to sum it up, lingering is perhaps the word that describes it best. Whether it is in touches, stares, sensation, or the very pace of the film, there is a lingering feeling to… Continue reading The Gallerist: Memories Of A Gothic Romance
L.U.N.A.: The Combined Power Of Evil And Technology
What director Blake Vaz excels at with the 10-minute horror L.U.N.A. is building up a truly gripping atmosphere of suspense. Centred on a field tech and the house she visits, the film swiftly and efficiently sets its gears into motion, developing a sense of trepidation by turning the camera into a silent, unseen (and very… Continue reading L.U.N.A.: The Combined Power Of Evil And Technology
Stand uP: A Family Drama About Comedy
For a film that is about comedy and is partially a comedy, Jonathan Samukange’s Stand uP is rather aptly titled with a pun. Henry, a stand-up comedian, has to break the news of his career decision to his conservative parents and, when backed into a corner, stand up for himself. It starts with a set.… Continue reading Stand uP: A Family Drama About Comedy
Promises: The Place Between Loss And Vengeance
Written by and starring Cynthia Crofoot, Jim Morrison’s Promises is a 4-minute film, an experiment on the limits of zero-budget filmmaking. Shot on an iPhone—a staple of this curious genre—the film features only Crofoot as a woman dealing with the aftermath of a date gone awry. When the film opens, the unnamed woman’s monologue makes… Continue reading Promises: The Place Between Loss And Vengeance
Queen of the Desert: Closing Impossible Divides The Right Way
With a confederate flag proudly hanging in the back of one character’s truck, while the other, a black woman, hitches a ride with him, Queen of the Desert is a tense, loaded film. If that were not enough, the radio announces an APB on a hitchhiker whose description is suspiciously close to that of the young woman.… Continue reading Queen of the Desert: Closing Impossible Divides The Right Way
Echoes: The Mystery And Grief Of Acutely Personal Regrets
Written and directed by Anthony Kalmetta, the mystery of Echoes is wrapped up in time and bitter regret. The 13-minute film follows Oliver, who, with only fragments of memory, struggles to piece together the life he shared with his partner, stumbling around their house, which is simultaneously where things died as well as their grave. Oliver (Dane… Continue reading Echoes: The Mystery And Grief Of Acutely Personal Regrets
Hurricane Flora: Ghosts Of A Revolution
Hurricane Flora, directed by Gabriel de Varona, is a 17-minute uneven but moving canvas of memory, trauma, family, and the centerpiece of it all: a rocky, but wholly loving father-daughter relationship, of which, in turn, the father is the highlight. Ernesto (Roberto Marrero), though otherwise vocal about most things, is closed off about his past in Cuba. Unstoppable… Continue reading Hurricane Flora: Ghosts Of A Revolution