Midnight Short Film Program
The Things We Keep dir. Joanna Fernandez
Forced into a caretaker position, Kate comes home to pack up her estranged mother’s house. While struggling to clear her mother’s hoarded possessions, Kate discovers the insidious nature of her mother’s illness lying behind the house’s walls.
I have firsthand experience with hoarders and hoarding, so this film had a very steep hill to climb from the get-go. Unfortunately, I couldn't put that aside to meet it where the film is at. Frankly, I've written this script before, and I - unfairly or not - prefer mine. I don't like supernatural causes in hoarding horror stories, at least in part because it's so personal to me. I didn't like how the monster was filmed and the lack of clarity around it. I couldn't get into this one, and I'm not sure how much of that was the film's fault.
Bunnyhood dir. Mansi Maheshwari
Innocent Bobby discovers whether her mom would ever lie to her when she is surprised by a last-minute trip to the hospital.
This film freaked me right the hell out!! It's not particularly scary, per se, but it did really scare me. The way the sound and the animation boil combined with stillness and quiet oscillated back and forth at such speed... It was deeply unsettling. Really weird, and I hope I can see whatever this filmmaker makes next.
Em & Selma Go Griffin Hunting dir. Alexander Thompson
In the Depression-ravaged countryside of 1930s America, adolescent girls are expected to fulfill a long-standing rite in which they hunt and slay a mythical beast of their mother’s choosing.
This story did next to nothing for me - though I appreciated the antiquated way that they stylized the language. The animation and vfx were pretty freaking amazing though! And it had an actress I like - Milly Shapiro, best known for her role in Hereditary.
Swollen dir. Roxy Sophie Sorkin
After plastic surgery, two besties debate the need to call the local police amid a botched burglary for fear of being seen swollen, bandaged, and bloody.
Swollen is batshit in all the right ways. The only downside is that there were slightly too many cops in it for my personal tastes, but seriously, this film rules. It's the first film from this year that I've made sure to show someone else. It has such a goofy sense of humor that's present in how the shots are constructed, the script, the acting, the wildly over the top stylization... It's a huge stand out and I think more people should see it.
Jesus 2 dir. Jesse Moynihan
In a future where no one can die and no one wants to live anymore, two space pirate brothers must destroy an evil messiah to break the curse of immortality and deliver humanity to its final resting place.
This felt like it had the same animation proclivities as Adventure Time and ta-da! many folks on the team worked on that show. It's a very textured film, not in animation style but in world-building style. There's layers and layers and internal logic piled upon itself all across the board, and 'knowing' doesn't feel like the goal for me as the audience. I feel the feeling of this claustrophobic, raunchy, violent world in each and every beat.
Platanero dir. Juan Frank Hernandez
Ti-Frè and Gran-Frè, two brothers of Haitian origin living in a Dominican Republic shantytown, struggle daily to survive. On a full moon night, desperation pushes them to steal from a plantation where a mysterious beast prowls among the banana trees.
First off, this film is gorgeous. Each person, place, and costume pops off of the screen. The lavishly realized and heightened designs make it feel so rich. There was a bit of lack of clarity around the monster that I wish there'd been a little more work done to make sure it was explicit exactly what it was and why it was. Even with that quibble, the film was gruesome and adrenaline-filled and very good. The performances were excellent.
Short Film Program 4
Stranger Brother dir. Annelise Hickey
When Adam, a self-absorbed and lonely millennial, wakes one morning to find his estranged half brother on his doorstep, he must face the family he’s been running away from.
This film has such a fascinating and inspired opening. The blurry, slow-capture (what's the word for that? shutter speed? exposure?) quality of the filming perfectly embodies what's happening internally with the characters. After that, the two lead brothers are great. Their camaraderie and rapport carries the feelings for the rest of the film wonderfully. Their relationship felt fully embodied and realized.
Goodnight dir. Isabel Pask
A hospice nurse revisits the comfort and fear of childhood when she hires a babysitter to take care of her for the night.
This film visits and then slowly opens up a wholly vulnerable feeling. I empathize with this deep seated desire to feel held, taken care of, and the way that this character spends all her time taking care of folks desiring being taken care of in turn resonates on an atomic level with me. The reveal at the end of this huge wad of cash for the babysitter hits the nail on the head so hard it nearly comes out the other side - where are the carers for the caretakers? The only way to get that care is with exorbitant, huge expense that is impersonal and transactional. It's heart-wrenching, and I think this film does an excellent job of slowly building it to it's maximum potential.
People & Things dir. Damian Kosowski
Olena arrives with her daughter, Kira, and boyfriend, Timur, in a small town in eastern Ukraine to receive the results of a DNA test confirming that her husband, Ilya, who disappeared during the war, is dead.
I loved the overwhelmingly oppressive banality of this film. There's lots of itty details indicating this or that is 'normal' or systemic, but centered is a family's relationships and what havoc war wreaks. Excellently constructed, acted, shot, and directed.
THE LILY (เดอะลิลลี่) dir. Quintessa Swindell
Two Muay Thai fighters who were once childhood friends come together for a final fight, which serves as a brutal resolution to their difficult familial bond torn apart by the hatred of their fathers.
This film is building a thing I do not recognize, but is building it with such care and attention that I want to give it my own attention in turn. The way that the video is paired up side by side and the language shifts back and forth gives a sense of wholeness, balance, serendipity to the two stories, while also presenting them as separate - like parallel lines. It also featured a very long fighting match that was wonderfully choreographed and shot.
Sweet Talkin' Men dir. Spencer Wardwell and Miss Dylan (Dylan Wardwell)
A trans woman goes on three consecutive dates with straight men. As the men grapple with their fragile masculinity, their sexual identities unravel in frantic monologues ironically delivered to the object of their desires.
Hah! Hahahaha! God! Fuckin straight men!! I think this is executed brilliantly. It's a perfect matchup of form and timing for maximum comedic and ironic effect. The fact that the trans woman literally never says anything sends me through the roof and is so emblematic of how so many of these dudes are with trans women. Amazing, great work.
B(l)ind The Sacrifice dir. Nakhane
A nomadic family wanders the land under the father’s leadership. One day, the men ascend a mountain to make a sacrifice. But today, things are different, which alters the family forever.
This one is brutal. It's community is exhaustingly all-consuming, and I felt so tired after watching. It is beautifully realized visually, and the performances are stellar. There were little details I just didn't know enough about to recognize, but the world was full and specific across the board that even without knowing I could see it as 'real'.
It's been hard to focus on these! My house is very loud this particular weekend, so getting quiet time to watch and focus in has been a struggle. It feels a bit like eating my vegetables, but I'm hoping that changing where in the house I'm watching will help with that. On to day three!