I only ended up watching one program today! I've been working my way though culinary class wars season 2 and honestly that's eaten up a lot of my attention, but I'm still working my way down the line.
Short Film Program 5
Albatross dir. Amandine Thomas
Maria, burdened with caregiving for her sick husband, gets invited to a party.
There were many haunting little moments in this, but it never quite fell into place to connect with me. I liked how seamlessly the imagined characters dropped in at the end and how the scenes flowed into one another gave the film a distinct dreamlike quality that was a bit (I think intentionally) off-putting. I also liked the lead woman a great deal. That was truly the saddest party ever. Imagine going to a Mexican party with *no* music playing at all. Bananas.
DON’T TELL MAMA dir. Chloe Leigh King
A Montenegrin father takes his teenage daughter on an unforgettable dinner date.
Whoof this is a messy family relationship. I thought they did great together, though the film somehow ended a bit before and after I expected it to. I though both the subtle and unsubtle characterizations worked wonderfully here, especially with the daughter actively ripping her stockings up as the opening shot. Pretty great.
Birdie dir. Praise Odigie Paige
In 1970, a 16-year-old Nigerian refugee in Virginia tries to keep her family together when a newcomer draws her sister away.
Despite being apparently set in my home state (woo! VA!), I didn't follow this one at all. I could tell what was happening in the characterization, but not the plot itself, which made it kind of interminable. Very pretty color grading though.
Balloon Animals dir. Anna Baumgarten
Two grocery store employees have an unexpected, helium-fueled encounter with a late-night customer.
Hey she's back! I had to look her up because I only knew her as 'starkid dirty dudes must die girl' - her name is Angela Giarratana - and she was in another Sundance short a year or two ago! I continue to like her performances. This specific short had an excellent sense of place and had a great sense of when we had felt it enough for it to move on smoothly. Fuck Marry Kill is a simple but effective way of setting the tone, and the simplicity of the shots helped to emphasize that. It was good! Not a top fave, but good and well crafted!
Jazz Infernal dir. Will Niava
Koffi, a young Ivorian trumpeter, arrives in Montréal with nothing but the legacy of his father to guide him. Lost between the city’s noise and the silence of his past, he must confront his roots to finally find his voice.
I wish this one hit me more. It definitely stressed me out effectively (I say that as a positive), especially the idea of losing your phone when traveling somewhere you've never been. I thought both the lead and the secondary lead of the loud annoying band man were both great, but it just never quite hooked me. Oh well! (I found out after watching it that it won a jury prize, so clearly it worked for a lot of other folks - good for them!)
Norheimsund dir. Ana A. Alpizar
A girl’s long-distance romance with an older Norwegian man promises to pull her and her mother from their austere life in Cuba, but her dreams are shaken when she realizes he isn’t as ideal as he seems.
Ouch. I think this film really knew what it was building and did that well, putting a cherry on top with its last line 'it doesn't cost anything to dream, right my love?' Well done with excellent acting and with a terrific sense of place/culture throughout.
Callback dir. Matthew Puccini
Max arrives home to find that his boyfriend has booked a callback. All hell breaks loose.
PHEW! This is one of my top faves so far. Both of the leads - as played by Justin H. Min and Michael Hsu Rosen - are killer and bring a bunch of nasty messy nuance to their characters. I really liked how it was shot and staged - thank god, a short with BLOCKING - and the third actor (Brayden Raqueño) was no slouch either as the slightly uncomfortable, gormless teen. It was wonderfully acted and messy and great. I was delighted by this one.