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…
ME (Vimeo)
One of the most creative and visionary filmmakers working today, Don Herzfeldt has a unique eye for animation, visual expression, and storytelling. His new film ME is 20 minutes of wondrous creativity and thematically dense expression. The way our new AI-driven world influenced this new short is hard to ignore. There are colorful and dynamic expressions of our reliance, as well as the strained journey of life. It also has is plenty of doom and death sprinkled throughout, which gives the film quite the morbid yet fascinating atmosphere. There are plenty of truly unique and creative expressions of ideas in this little flick, which is no surprise when you have Herzfeldt behind the wheel. The music does some serious heavy lifting as well when it comes to the emotions of this journey. Haunting. Expressive. Poignant. All of them are true about this unique and fresh exploration through life with Herzfeldt.
Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World (Netflix)
How important is it for someone to have a voice? Communication is such a powerful element to human connection, and the inability to speak can be a big roadblock. But there are avenues for those without an audible voice to make sure they are heard. Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World, a documentary short, is an emotional and meaningful expression of the power of voice. Young Makayla uses a letterboard to write letters to her mother and father. You can feel the love for her family, as well as the appreciation for the opportunity to speak in this new way. Poetic, moving, and poignant, this film highlights the pent-up thoughts of a teenage girl in a way that is quite affecting.
The Only Girl in the Orchestra (Netflix)
Who is Orin O’Brien? She is the daughter of legendary actors George O’Brien and Marguerite Churchill, the first woman to be in the renowned New York Philharmonic, and was hired by Leonard Bernstein. But this film focuses on her as she nears retirement. After a full career and making a splash, there is a lot of emotion that is captured as she transitions into her new life. We get an understanding of how it was being a woman in a sexist profession where she didn’t even have a place to get dressed. Orin is a fascinating figure as well, because she shuns the attention that her parents strived for. She never wanted to be singled out, because she was just newly hired in this great orchestra. Directed by Orin’s own niece, The Only Girl in the Orchestra is a moving and informative film that is filled with passion as it tells its worthwhile story.
GODFART (YouTube)
Have you ever had a moment where you had that bubbling gas, and it gets so uncomfortable that you just beg for relief? We have all been there (some of us more often than others). This relatable situation is turned into such an oddly epic short film experience in GODFART, about God trying to pass some gas. Yes… that is it. It’s such a simple concept, but somehow filmmaker Michael Langan creates such an epic and booming atmosphere. The sound design and music bring an epic and ethereal feel, while the simplicity of God’s kitchen and the diner are fun as well. There are some silly effects that capture the demonic diner attendant, as well as the unexpected creation myth depicted on screen. Plus Russell Hodgkinson does a fine job as our silent but expressive God. A wild concept for a quick and silly bit of entertainment.
The Boy Who Cheated Death (YouTube)
How far would you go to help a loved one evade Death? This is a powerful question, and a real test of love and your own fear of mortality. The Boy Who Cheated Death is a gorgeous, animated exploration of that question, and it is quite poignant when its five-minute runtime is done. Phuong Nguyen accomplishes some inventive and impressive feats of visual storytelling, with a wide range of different animation styles used to capture the vast journey of son and mother. Each new place they hide, they find reflective parental connections in nature, while varying the animation styles, from hand drawn 2D animation, to felt stop motion, to other materials that give each place a unique feel which brings personality to the proceedings. Death finds you, always, but the power of a maternal bond can prolong that chase as Nguyen is able to express through this gorgeous and poignant short film.
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