by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
Welcome to The Short List! Each month, I treat you to a collection of short films. Hopefully I can inspire you to check some of them out…
Her Fight, His Name: The Story of Gwen Carr and Eric Garner (Theaters)
You probably have heard the name Eric Garner before, but do you know the name Gwen Carr? Garner was tragically killed by excessive force from police 10 years ago (it is wild to believe it has been that long), but Carr is his mother — a woman who works tirelessly for social justice and institution change. The film begins with a harrowing presentation of the audio from the event over Garner’s childhood picture… the scene is set. It does feel a bit like a newscast presentation, but the subject matter and message elevates the film well beyond any artistic limitations. Carr is an engaging presence, and an inspiring subject, who has made great strides in her work to prevent such deaths from ever happening again. The film captures the large context over the past 10 years, while not losing the emotional connection to the human being lost, which is essential to the film’s overall impact. Despite a long, bumpy road, Her Fight, His Name a significant spotlight of a film which keeps shining to prevent future injustice.
Five Days Till Tomorrow (Mubi)
We’ve all experienced times where we were fully enveloped by the malaise of boredom and mundane everyday life, and Five Days Till Tomorrow whisks us away to an ever-present, ‘70s, neo-futuristic landscape which simply does not end. This impressive, stop-motion fever dream full of fantasy comic characters took seven years to piece together, but it is quite the thing to behold. There is creativity on full display, showing how one can use simple cut out pictures to represent a dynamic and present theme. It’s fun to see classic comic characters on display as just a bonus to go along with director Lewis Klahr’s hard work. The film is repetitive and droning, but for purposeful cinematic reasons. Its usage of simple repetitive piano notes is eerily haunting, rounding out the film’s impressive atmosphere.
Early Retirement (YouTube)
Relationships get easier, right? Not quite. Being in a relationship means a lot of compromise and collaboration. Whether you are a younger gay man processing his more recent relationship, or his now-retired parents in a 55-plus community, you must put in the work. In Early Retirement, writer Susan-Kate Heaney and co-writer and star Peter Sabri find authenticity in the way they show people in relationships, and how we connect with our parents to better understand different aspects of our lives. Alex (Sabri) is back living with his parents and seeing their marriage in a new way. Adrienne Barbeau (who made a name in John Carpenter films back in the ‘80s) makes a lasting impression as Alex’s mother who is adjusting to her husband, Farid (Maz Siam), who is not really pulling his weight in their relationship. This charming, relatable, intergenerational story has a good sense of humor, and provides an engaging exploration of generational differences in relationships and how parents navigate the support of their children.
Curiosa (YouTube)
The measure of honesty and openness in a relationship can be an important benchmark for if things will work out. Exploring that idea, Curiosa is a clever and haunting piece of claymation about a woman who finds a doorway into her boyfriend’s mind. The visuals stand out in this film, with the distinct, exaggerated heads, and the textured design of the characters and settings. We see the labyrinthian workings of the mind rendered in a compelling and creative way by director Tessa Moult-Milewska. The film’s creativity is second only to the impact of its story, thanks to the mystery opening a Pandora’s box that our main character, Mary, just might regret opening. The shocking twist in the narrative opens its own door to a poignant, impactful, and standout theme.
The Alien Perspective (VOD)
With regards to aliens, what if the question is not, “Are they out there?” but “Why are they coming here?” That is the framework of Part One of a new series focusing on extraterrestrials, The Alien Perspective. This 45-minute documentary explores the approaches and broader concepts that could be affecting alien contact on Earth. Time travel. Bending reality. How and why are the key pieces to Dean Alioto’s documentary. There is a wide range of human perspectives, from futurists, to researchers, to NASA employees, to military personnel. This is a fascinating (if not abridged) take on a still unexplained phenomenon. It is not the more grounded or government approach of the recently released The Program. Instead, it takes its audience into a bold new direction, delivering some visual flair (including a whole animated segment). This will certainly leave you wanting more when it abruptly ends, but I am sure we will all be back for The Alien Perspective 2: The Search for More Aliens.
You can read more from Shane Conto, and follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd