I'm writing this a about a month and a half after watching the films, so I expect many of the details will be fuzzy. It's funny, I wasn't feeling this year's program very much up until I watched the award winners program. They really were the cream of the crop, and I'm glad that I finished with the film that I did. Onto what I watched on my fourth day of watching Sundance Shorts:

Short Film Program 5

Hippopotami dir. Hippopotami

In the suburbs of a northern Chinese city undergoing urbanization, a quirky girl who wants to see animals in the zoo is taken for a ride that will forever change her perspective on life.

I remember bits and pieces of this one were striking, but the film as a whole didn't grip me. I liked how the director would imply things with minimal language or characters lying. I wish more characters lied (well) in pop media.

Are You Scared To Be Yourself Because You Think That You Might Fail? dir. Bec Pecaut

While recovering from top surgery, Mad struggles with wanting their partner’s attention and accepting help from their mother.

This film hit me like a truck, and I'm still not sure what I think of it. It was upsettingly accurate in its depiction of... well, everyone involved. From the toxic partner (I know this person, with that exact haircut) to the well meaning but hurtful parent to, of course, the central character who had just underwent top surgery. Top surgery is something I have considered (and likely will continue to consider), but as of right now I don't think I want something permanent like that... Even so, the final title card "Are You Scared To Be Yourself Because You Think That You Might Fail?" made the ending especially potent.

Such Good Friends dir. Bri Klaproth

After ending a toxic friendship, a people pleaser finds herself falling into old patterns with her former best friend’s family.

Hah! Hahaha! The timing on this is phenomenal, and each character is such a specific kind of menace. Another short where I feel like I have met each of these characters in my real life, with just a hair of added oompah to make them suited for film. Well done, and I hope that Klaproth's next short is even punchier!

The Long Valley dir. Robert Machoian and Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck

Documenting the people and landscapes of the Salinas Valley, one of the most productive agricultural regions in California.

Gorgeous landscapes that I had never seen before and all-encompassing use of sound. Very impressive, measured shots.

AN ALMOST SUCCESSFUL DATING APP LOVE STORY dir. Winter Coleman

Determined to meet him dead or alive, a curious young woman attends the funeral of a man she matched with on a dating app.

A weird one! It didn't quite hit for me but it got very close and it did make me laugh, which is still absolutely a passing 'grade.' It felt ike an iteration on some well-trod romcom tropes without a huge amount of innovation (not that it needed to be either, mind you). I was surprised that this was one of the only Black women leads of the festival.

Suo Jiang dir. Chien-Yu Lin

The sets are gorgeous, what a phenomenal sense of place. Florid and lush and busy in a fantastic way. Plus several of the cuts were evocative and expressive, which is always a treat.

We’re Not Done Yet dir. Sofia Camargo

Alex visits his newly single mother, Bettina, for a weekend at her getaway beach house. But when he is confronted with her newfound independence, Alex is forced to face his own controlling nature.

This film is fucking stressful!!! Some extremely chaotic people doing extremely chaotic things loudly! Aaahh! I'd hate to be around them! Well done I think but it's still hard for me to even interface with because it was so stressful!!! That son sucks so bad! But also everyone here does, like damn!

Animated Short Film Program

I didn't finish this program! I ran out of time and wanted to prioritize the award winners (which was a very good decision by the by), so this isn't all the animated shorts.

Flower Show dir. Elli Vuorinen

Wildflowers are stomped to the ground during the celebration at an annual flower show where girls have been cultivated like flowers for generations.

Surreal! Weird! Engaging! I don't remember most of the details now but I remember enjoying it when I watched it.

Inkwo for When the Starving Return dir. Amanda Strong

Dove, a gender-shifting warrior, uses their Indigenous medicine, Inkwo, to protect their community from an unearthed swarm of terrifying creatures.

Phew! A ride. Piercing visuals that put me in mind of some of the storytellers I would see at libraries and parks when I was a child. A compelling Native story with a protagonist who was beyond gender. I really like how they animated the frogs too.

Luz Diabla dir. Gervasio Canda

Martin, a flamboyant urban raver, is involved in a strange car accident on his way to a party in the middle of the Argentine Pampas.

Not one hundred percent sure I understood what was happening by the end of it, but phew what a wild ride! Worth watching for the brain-breaking visual alone. Psychedelic but with an urban rave-tinge.

Short Film Award Winner Program

Like I said earlier, these were amazing. By far the best of what I saw this year, hands down.

The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing dir. Theo Panagopoulos

When a filmmaker of Palestinian descent based in Scotland unearths a rarely seen film archive of Palestinian wildflowers, he decides to reclaim the footage.

I don't know if I can summarize this film in a way that actually evokes the feeling of watching it and the feelings I had while watching it. It is heartbreaking and a beautiful encapsulation of history (and our present). Amazing work.

Trokas Duras

Trokas Duras is in here but I didn't rewatch it since I saw it in Program 3 already and was running out of time!

Como si la tierra se las hubiera tragado dir. Natalia León

Olivia, a young woman living abroad, returns to her hometown in Mexico in the hope of reconnecting with her past.

This film gave me genuine shivers. I watched it with my mom and she hadn't known about the femicides in Mexico, so it was also very educational. The way that the story and the visuals are so perfectly married strengthens the entire piece. Excellent.

The Eating of an Orange dir. May Kindred-Boothby

Convention and sexuality are explored through slugs, rituals, and the eating of an orange.

I've never seen such an erotic slug or orange. Also, this film was primarily made by one person! It's striking, charged, and surreal - it's exceptionally well done. The way the characters move and fold into/out of each other will stick with me for a while now.

Tiger dir. Loren Waters

A portrait of award-winning, internationally acclaimed Indigenous artist and elder Dana Tiger, her family, and the resurgence of the iconic Tiger T-shirt company.

That description is apt. It's a frank, unflinching, and kind portrait of this family and their business's history, present, and future. There aren't many frills, and that's part of what makes it so great. Really excellent documentary.

Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites dir. Chheangkea

During her chaotic family’s Qingming visit, dead Grandma Nai sneaks away from her peaceful afterlife after overhearing that her Queer grandson is about to get engaged to a woman.

I am so glad this is the film I ended on. (I also didn't realize the grandson was queer but that makes sense!) I loved the way the family's dialoge folded on top of itself and smothered the visuals onscreen, making the act of looking and watching feel secret and intimate and personal. There's one specific shot of the grandma leaning forward just past the edge of her grandson's face in profile, and the care and attention there... it's amazing. Also the COLORS in this film are incredible! Wonderful to look at, to listen to, to feel. An excellent closing to an excellent awards program.


Grandma Nai and her grandson laughing and dancing together

Some of my very favorites (in no particular order) from this year are:


When I went back to my other posts to make the above list I had a little laugh realizing that I already wrote reviews for a couple of these! Ah well, the joys of a month and a half away.