Short Film Program 1
Sauna Sickness dir. Malin Barr
Locked out on a freezing New Year’s Eve, Cleo discovers the real threat isn’t the cold — it’s the man beside her.
This ending has earned the "Good for Her" award. Girl needed to GTF OUT and thank goodness she did. Also, a nice reminder that Sundance doesn't categorize sex as the same as violence, which is always nice to see.
Living with a Visionary dir. Stephen P. Neary
After 50 years of marriage, John must care for his wife while learning to live alongside her vivid hallucinations.
This made me openly sob to the point where I had trouble finishing it just because I couldn't see it after a certain point. It was beautifully, expressively animated, emotionally narrated, and hit my personal sob button of losing a loved one alongside the dehumanizing environment of hospitals. It struck my heart deeply.
Pankaja dir. Anooya Swamy
Pankaja, along with her daughter, Lalli, searches for her missing husband through the city slums of Bangalore to bring him back home.
I loved the pacing of this one. And the framing. I realized a ways in that the story had little to do with the search and more to do with the mother and daughter's relationship alongside the wheels of bureaucracy. I liked how it was shot, framed, paced, acted, scripted, all of it. Great work.
Candy Bar dir. Nash Edgerton
A young girl thinks a man in the candy bar line looks like her dad.
This didn't do much of anything for me. It's like a joke where you know the punchline, then every character involved in it tells you the punchline three times. Not to my taste, even if the lead guy did well.
La Tierra del Valor (The Home of the Brave) dir. Cristina Costantini
During a summer of grief and fear brought on by immigration raids in Los Angeles, one small act of bravery gives a community hope.
I hate that this shit has been happening long enough that we're getting documentaries about people protesting said shit. I thought it was very well made and I was super impressed with the fact that they even had so much footage to form such a coherent narrative. I don't really know how documentary or documentary-adjacent filmmaking works, but this film made me want to learn more. And to listen to more of NEZZA's music. Was it a little unsubtle? Sure, but it definitely wasn't trying to be, and frankly what is happening in the US right now deserves zero subtlety. This shit is fucked and we should all be yelling about it all the time.
It feels extremely important to note somewhere that the UX quality of the Sundance online interface has gone down significantly over the last few years. I have to click through so many screens to get to the next films - which I have paid for! - and actually make the screening do what it says it will do. It even kicks me out of the screen I watched the shorts on when the shorts end, meaning I have to click through at least 3 more menus to get back to the same damn place. It is so frustrating and the fact that it used to not be like this makes it even more infuriating. Why on earth did they make their own platform suck to use after being perfectly fine in years past?
This complaint is brought to you in part by the fact that they didn't make a separate online 'screening' for award winners this year and I have to go scrounge around for the list amongst all the shorts programs. Terrible design update.
Short Film Program 2
I got started on these and plan to finish them tomorrow!
Crisis Actor dir. Lily Platt
Fired from her day job, an impulsive actress crashes a support group and spirals into a chaotic night that forces her to face her addiction to drama.
This movie was excellent. It establishes our lead effortlessly and immediately as a liar who does things to have an easier time and feel good, then puts her in A SituationTM that would break that, and we see the immediate results of that. It's excellent storytelling and well acted. Lead actor Sarah Steele did a fantastic job.
Radiant Frost dir. Hannah Schierbeek
A drifter’s life takes a dramatic turn when he discovers a runaway member of a survivalist cult in the back of his truck.
The entire time I was watching this one I just kept thinking "gosh my best friend would love this. (or at least be fascinated by it.)" My best friend and I have different taste in media. Though it was certainly to their taste, I didn't connect with this one and especially disliked the lighting. The sound design was weird and fascinating though!
How Brief dir. Kelly McCormack
A disappearing act occurs over the course of one night in 1962 when a restless woman returns to her childhood home for the last time. Inspired by the music of singer-songwriter Connie Converse.
Now this film though!! This film was extremely to my taste! Weird as hell with super stylized movement, line delivery, framing, blocking, scripting, a super specific yet varied freak out sequence - fabulous. I want to study this film. Fan freakin tastic. Shoutout especially to director Kelly McCormack and screenwriter Tess Degenstein. They worked perfectly in concert.
I'll pick up with more tomorrow!