10.25.2013 | Kelsey Hockmuller
Narrative Short Competition Focus
Hey there! I’m Kelsey; I intern in the Film Department at Austin Film Festival. The following is a preview of the films in the Narrative Short Competition. One big trend I saw in the films this year is a push towards finding ways to make the expected unexpected. Almost half of the films in competition feature some kind of ending twist or reveal. In the case of many of the others, entire stories hinge on slow reveals, piecing together of puzzles, and various other ways of creating “Aha!”s for the audience. Even a film with a familiar often-told plot finds a way to become original through the manner in which it tells the story. From the fluid long-take film Colera to the rapidly paced This Is It, the shorts in competition span a wide range of visual styles, all perfectly suited to their subject matter. One thing all the films have in common is fantastic performances, especially from young actors. The teenagers in End of the Beginning are hardened and battle-weary, and the elder sister in Mommy is heartbreakingly sympathetic. We ache for their struggles and cheer when they succeed. Many films also feature fantastic performances from actors who barely say a word. The Woman In The Dress’s tailor, Wei Li, says volumes with his eyes, and the isolated soldier in The Well conveys complete desperation through his steadily degrading physicality. Though the program is dominated by drama, there are some standout comedies. Whether You Like It Or Not is complete silliness (as any musical should be), Fool’s Day makes an absurd situation relatable and human, and This Is It might just be the cleverest film in competition. All of these films are worth a look, though it can be hard to get a chance to see all of them when scattered through all the various shorts programs. If pushed to choose, I’d say The Landing, This Is It, Mommy, Mr. Invisible, and Colera are essentials. Luckily, seeing those means you get to see most of the others as well. However, the films I left out are in no means any less striking, poignant, or clever than these; I tend to lean towards the oddities in terms of what films I love, so some of the other films will doubtlessly have more approachable content.
Cólera
In this gorgeous one-shot film, a group of villagers confront a filthy and disease ridden outcast living alone in the wilderness. One of the most uncomfortable films here, Colera will make you squirm and feel like insects are crawling over your skin. The relevance of the film’s title are not revealed until the final moments, giving you an “aha” moment with disturbing implications. The short is composed of one fluid long take, where the camera goes from a simple tracking of the villagers’ path to unsettling POV shots in a matter of unbroken minutes. Writer/director Aritz Moreno’s skill in making one shot feel as rhythmic as multiple cuts is superb. Despite the film’s gloomy tone, it has a pulse and energy that keeps you on the edge of your seat all the way to the end.
See it in Shorts Program 7, “The Face Of The Devil,” at the Hideout Theatre on Friday, 10/25 at 9:00pm and Wednesday, 10/25 at 7:30pm
End of the Beginning
As the title suggests, this film gives us a taste of adventure’s start and ends with us looking out into the possibilities. In a post-apocalyptic world, teenaged Sookie brings her wounded daddy to an abandoned diner and discovers the last survivor of the town, Dylan. The group is attacked by demons from outside, but find that there may be greater threats within their own ranks. If the short feels like the beginning of a larger whole, that’s because it is – writer/director Richard Marshall shot the film with the intention of extending it into a feature-length coming-of-age film set in this post-apocalyptic wasteland. He creates the world of the film with stunning visual effects and thorough production design; we never discover the reasons behind the apocalypse, but he sells the world so well we don’t care. A fun, thrilling look at children taking control of their own destiny, this film shows us that trust sometimes means letting others do the unthinkable.
See it in Short Program 3, “Into the Unknown,” at the Hideout Theatre on Thursday 10/24 at 9:20pm and Thursday 10/31 at 4:00pm
Fool’s Day
Set on the titular April Fool’s Day, a class of 4th graders are shocked when their perfect prank – putting laxatives in their teacher’s coffee – accidentally makes their teacher’s head explode. Afraid of going to jail for murder, lead prankster Adam finds himself scrambling to cover up the crime before a police officer shows up for their weekly DARE lesson. Fun, colorful, and at times bizarre, writer/director Cody Blue Snider plays gag after gag in rapid succession and increasing absurdity (in one winning moment, the first sound after the teacher’s demise comes when her body falls onto a whoopi cushion, breaking the tense silence with a massive fart). The film shows us that all actions have consequences, sometimes far greater than what we expect.
See it in Shorts Program 1, “School Daze,” at the Hideout Theatre on Thursday 10/24 at 7:10pm and Wednesday 10/30 at 3:00pm.
The Landing
As an Australian film about American Cold-War paranoia during the space race, The Landing doesn’t seem at first like it would be successful. However, it may be that an outsider’s look at American history is just as, if not more, poignant and gripping as an American’s. Edward, raised by his father on a Midwestern farm, returns to his childhood home as an adult to dig up whatever landed there when he was a boy. A gripping sci-fi drama, the film’s non-linear structure will keep you guessing up until the final reveal – which is nothing like what you expected. There are fantastic performances from all the actors, especially from Henry Nixon (whom you may recognize from tv series The Pacific), whose Father is drunk and brash, yet ultimately sympathetic. The film’s switches from past to present are wonderfully handled in a Tree of Life-like manner, with nothing feeling contrived or unmotivated. The Landing ultimately tells the story that all childhood demons, no matter how fantastical, often hold more truth than we give them credit for.
See it in Shorts Program 8, “Messages From The Future/Past,” at the Hideout Theatre on Saturday, 10/26 at 9:00pm and Wednesday, 10/30 at 5:15pm
Mommy
The touching Danish film tells the story of Emma, a normal teenaged girl, who is left with the responsibility of caring for her brother, Lucas, who suffers from severe cerebral palsy and requires constant care. With no help from their drunken mother, Emma battles with wanting to go to the movies with her friends and needing to take care of her brother. Julie Anderson (Emma)’s performance is heartbreaking; her tenderness with her brother and impatience with her situation are touching and incredibly relatable. A scene where a woman in a coffee shop acts friendly towards Lucas becomes heartbreaking when we see how much that kindness means to Emma – this girl clearly needs a mother too. Beautifully shot, emotionally engaging, this film will give you hope and make you want to weep.
See it in Short Program 4, “Family Matters,” at the Hideout Theatre on Saturday 10/26 at 6:45pm and Monday 10/28 at 9:45pm
Mr. Invisible
With one of the most startling twists of the films in competition, Game of Thrones’s Julian Glover takes a touching turn as an old man who feels isolated from the world around him. The entire film leaves you feeling so bad for the main character, who trudges through life ignored by the younger generations, with only his cat for companionship. He is instantly relatable and sympathetic, almost akin to Carl from Up. The ending creates a fantastic “aha” moment as you realize that this man’s isolation isn’t entirely unwanted. Mr. Invisible forces us the think about a part of society often left ignored and to wonder what the consequences of our overlooking of the elderly may be.
See it in Shorts Program 2, “The Kindness of Strangers,” at the Hideout Theatre on Saturday 10/26 at 4:30pm and Tuesday 10/29 at 9:30pm
Open Spaces
This film shows more than anything that stories about forgiveness can often come from unexpected places. Writer/director Nick Rafter’s apartment building was destroyed in the attacks on 9/11 when the South Tower fell. His film examines the lingering fears and prejudices towards Arab-Americans through a quirky, uplifting coming-of-age story. Shy salesman Norman dreams of performing, but is unable to make his all-important audition for “Star Potential,” due to work obligations. After accidentally stopping his elderly agoraphobic neighbor, Kate, from committing suicide, the two strike up a quirky friendship. However, the voyeuristic neighborhood watchdog/peeping-tom has his eye on Norman and suspects him of being a suicide bomber. Hilarity ensues as the three clash and prejudices are debunked. The film shows the power of a victim of tragedy taking an optimistic view of humanity.
See it in Shorts Program 2, “The Kindness of Strangers,” at the Hideout Theatre on Saturday 10/26 at 4:30pm and Tuesday 10/29 at 9:30pm
Record
Revolution star David Lyons makes his directorial debut with this engrossing soundscape of a film. Still reeling from the death of her mother, Lucy, a blind girl obsessed with memory, turns to tapes of her mother’s voice for solace. Her father, unsure of how to connect with his daughter, eventually his discovers her stockpile of tapes and bonds with Lucy through their memories. Though visually stunning, this film is a triumph of sound design. As waves of sound encapsulate you, the memories contained within the tapes feel as rich and vibrant to us as they do for the protagonists. Lyons succeeds in transporting us into a world where sound can be as illuminating as sight.
See it in Short Program 4, “Family Matters,” at the Hideout Theatre on Saturday 10/26 at 6:45pm and Monday 10/28 at 9:45pm
This Is It
I’m going to come right out and say that this film is brilliant. In my opinion, it is one of the cleverest films in competition. Through a series of questions and short revelations, This Is It tells the story of a feature film in three minutes. That story is relatively simple: two guys move into an apartment, face issues, fall in love, and shenanigans and misunderstandings ensue. Writer/director Alexander Engel takes this familiar done-to-death story and elevates it into brilliance with his unique and quirky manner of storytelling.
See it in Short Program 3, “Into the Unknown,” at the Hideout Theatre on Thursday 10/24 at 9:20pm and Thursday 10/31 at 4:00pm
The Well
Reality and insanity bleed together in this gritty Civil War period piece. A Confederate soldier guarding a well on the Texas/Mexico border steadily becomes more and more desperate as he copes with the isolation of his post and the desolation of his environment. Shot near the site of the Western-most battle fought during the Civil War, The Well lets us sympathize with someone on the side of a war we all tend to root against. Though we don’t agree with what this solider stand for, we feel his desperation and hope to god he survives.
See it in Shorts Program 7, “The Face Of The Devil,” at the Hideout Theatre on Friday, 10/25 at 9:00pm and Wednesday, 10/25 at 7:30pm
Whether You Like It Or Not
When half the laughs of your film can be motivated just by a look from the crazy eyes of your main actress, you know you’ve got a winner. Country music video director Wes Edwards creates a piece of black and white 40s-inspired musical silliness that is as fun and quirky as it is utterly ridiculous. When Charlotte meets her “Mr. Right” with Alexander, her determination in winning him over reaches bounds of insanity as she cleverly forces love, marriage, and finally childbirth on her unsuspecting “love.” The clash of characters makes up much of the humor, as Charlotte’s wild-eyed determination pair wonderfully with her Alexander’s straight-man confusion. Fast-paced and full of bounce, Whether You Like It Or Not will leave you chuckling at the antics of true love.
See it in Shorts Program 9, “Sex, Love, and Other Bits of Ridiculousness,” at the Hideout Theatre on Friday, 10/25 at 6:45pm and Sunday, 10/27 at 6:45pm.
The Woman In The Dress
Love and chance meeting fuel the plot of this visually stunning drama. When the beautiful Joanne enters Wei Li’s tailor shop, he finds himself entranced. As he slaves over making her dress fit just right, we are transported into the story of Joanne’s life, loves, and turmoil. As we begin to fit the pieces together, Wei Li turns out to have more influence on Joanne’s life than he’d dreamed he would. It is a visually gorgeous film – the way movement of fabric and fluidity of textures is captured is often breath taking. Austin Ku is haunting as tailor Wei Li, saying volumes with just his eyes and slight variance in his expression. A drama of love and money, The Woman In The Dress explores perception of actions and how complete strangers can change each other’s lives.
See it in Shorts Program 2, “The Kindness of Strangers,” at the Hideout Theatre on Saturday 10/26 at 4:30pm and Tuesday 10/29 at 9:30pm