by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
Welcome to The Short List! Each month, I treat you to a collection of short films. Hopefully this list will inspire you to check out some of these gems…
/Imagine (2023) – YouTube
Who says you need more than a couple of minutes to make a serious statement? Anna Apter has plenty to say in this unnervingly artificial, yet bitingly poignant film. /IMAGINE confronts its audience with a parade of artificial children with the life drained from their eyes and faces, as they confront all the challenges of social media and the technology which sucks them in. There is so much being said in society today about the adverse effects of social media on children, and this film pulls no punches. It is a pointed and direct assault on those not listening. This is less a film than a statement, but nonetheless, it is an impactful viewing experience.
Bizarro World (2023) – YouTube
You can tell from the title that this one will be a little different, right? Imagine Richard Linklater’s Slacker except absurdist, going for all laughs, and set in L.A. Filmmakers Abdi Ibrahim and Jonathan Salmon have a deft approach to taking the strangeness of everyday life and putting a darkly humorous twist on it. Would you buy a car from two guys with ski masks on? Would you get a haircut from a guy in his backyard who uses his own pick on you? These are the types of weird yet fascinating occurrences that fill out the eight minutes of enjoyment that is Bizarro World. The comedians bring the goods in each of these six tales strung together for our own morbid enjoyment.
Mr. Pete & the Iron Horse (2021) – YouTube
Do you have a need for speed? If so, you can probably relate to the Baroness of this strange and fascist-like world of Mr. Pete & the Iron Horse. The animation is distinct with its Invader Zim-type grotesque characters. This is not a beautiful, animated world; it is a fascinating one that feels draped in steampunk, and wrapped in dystopia and authoritarianism. Inside the world, we witness the pressure on poor Mr. Pete, who will do anything he can to make his Baroness’ new train go faster and faster. The tension mounts, and the narrative escalates, as we see shocking moments sprinkled into this thrilling ride of a short film.
Cat and Moth (2022) – YouTube
Who doesn’t love a fun competition between two unrelenting forces? Cat and Moth is certainly in the classic vein of Tom & Jerry, with the slapstick and physical comedy that finds two warring animals. A cat (a beautifully animated and fluffy one at that) just wants to lay on the couch! But a moth gets in the way, and these two go toe-to-toe in a nicely animated living room. Will this conflict ever end, or will things escalate too far? One of those certainly happens and an unexpected amount of electricity brings this conflict to a whole other plane. But this is a fun and zany romp of a wordless comedy that will take you to some strange and unexpected places. Oh… and that ditty that is the score will live rent free in your head for bit afterwards, too.
Hysteresis (2021) – YouTube
Are you ready for a visual treat you have never experienced before? Hysteresis might be one of the most purely visual and auditory cinematic presentations that you will ever see. There are no words. There is just music, colors, animation, and dance. This A.I.-supported effort morphs reality in unexpected ways, as the audience is sent on a crazed kaleidoscopic journey. There are plenty of tinges of different cultures, and animation styles that meld together to create something wholly unique and new. The music, matched with the movement, is infectious. This is a film that can only elicit two reactions: You will either not be able to watch it (there is a seizure warning at the beginning), or you will never be able to look away.
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