Oran Zegman’s Marriage Material is a glittery nightmare of a satire. And it’s a musical (a first for AFI, where Zegman was a student; Marriage Material is her thesis film). The film, a pointed critique of dating and marriage for women, is both coloured by a bygone era and distinctly modern. Recently single Leah (turned… Continue reading Marriage Material: Twisted Husband Hunting Extravaganza With A Dash Of Genius
Tag: Short Film Reviews
Ashmina: On Teen Rebellion And The Dream Of Mobility
Working at as young as 13 is a reality for almost anyone who has grown up grappling with historical poverty. Education is a distant dream, especially if you are a girl. The money you earn goes entirely into the wellbeing of the family. Years can go by before if ever, you move up on the… Continue reading Ashmina: On Teen Rebellion And The Dream Of Mobility
Elijah: The Unexpectedly Welcome Call Of The Past
Although the eponymous character in this Patrick Fritz directed drama has barely more than a few seconds on screen, the film makes it very clear why Fritz named it so. For, even the character itself is not physically present, it is his presence that drastically changes at least two lives. The discovery of Elijah becomes… Continue reading Elijah: The Unexpectedly Welcome Call Of The Past
A Hard Day In The Empire: Sexsim and Bullying Party On Set
There is a theory that far more than corrupting, power intensifies the already existing bad in people. With bullies in the workplace, this is a theory that fits. In Sezen Kayhan’s A Hard Day In The Empire, where the plot follows the unfolding drama on set, the director is a bully whose target for the… Continue reading A Hard Day In The Empire: Sexsim and Bullying Party On Set
Scumbags: Clash Of Colossal Egos For Comedy
Chris K. Daniels knows what he wants. With action-comedy Scumbags, he takes his stylistic sensibilities and gives them full rein. Besides directing, Daniels also served as cinematographer and editor for the film, and Scumbags visibly benefits from the artistic control he retains. The plot visits the old trope of two conmen who are friends but… Continue reading Scumbags: Clash Of Colossal Egos For Comedy
9 to 5: Totalitarianism And Kindness Make An Unholy Union
A dystopian world is the perfect stage for a storyteller with which to build characters and stories that causes unease and forces audiences to confront possibilities that feel entirely real, or worse, distills elements of the familiar world to show with acute intensity just what is going wrong in the present day. With Filippos Tsapekis’… Continue reading 9 to 5: Totalitarianism And Kindness Make An Unholy Union
A Million Eyes: A Love Letter To Painting With Light
Far too often, 25 minutes can feel like an eternity in the world of short films. Richard Raymond’s A Million Eyes moves with the fluidity and magnificence of a river, never letting its audience feel conscious of time. Raymond’s craft and along with him his cinematographer, Jarin Blaschke’s craft is a polished, sharp beast of beauty.… Continue reading A Million Eyes: A Love Letter To Painting With Light
Brotherhood: The Price Of Transgression
The opening shot alone is telling. A lone shepherd with the help of his barely adult son is tending to his sheep. As they run helter-skelter, father-son discover the wrath of the wolf pack. A dying sheep. Bloodied and panting. The father passes on the skill known to his son. This is an intimate portrait… Continue reading Brotherhood: The Price Of Transgression
Stand: Quiet Psychological Spin On Slasher Horror
A monstrous-looking creature looms on your horizon. It won’t approach, it won’t attack– as long as you did not sit down. Stand is more anxiety-inducing than fear or horror. Writer-director Chris K. Daniels dabbles frequently in the psychological horror genre; with Stand he takes what looks like a suitable premise for another Saw movie and… Continue reading Stand: Quiet Psychological Spin On Slasher Horror
Impossibility:Possibility: A Paradox Of Modern Life Solutions To Age-old Problems
The film opens to Mother Teresa’s quote that goes in the lines of loving someone or something until there’s only love left and no place for hurt. Poetic. Philosophical. But, seldom tried. Humans aren’t designed to live in abandon. Societies ensure we don’t. But, in Brendan Sweeney’s Impossibility:Possibility, we see a glimpse of that spiral… Continue reading Impossibility:Possibility: A Paradox Of Modern Life Solutions To Age-old Problems