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…
Au coeur du son (Festival)
How impactful can music be on humanity? That is exactly what the directing duo of Marie Larrivé and Lucas Malbrun explore in their surrealist animated short film, Au coeur du son. The film is a mesmerizing exploration of a young musicology student, Cesare, who finds himself trapped in a strange world of music that comes to life through his headphones. The French studio Eddy is known for its bold and ambitious films, and this animated representation of music is no different. You feel the music and how it is leaving impressions on the visuals. Hypnotic and colorful in every way, this short delivers beautiful, hand-drawn animation that mixes a carousel of colors with dynamic camera movements and a creative world ripped straight from art frames. There are plenty of interesting and insightful audio clips layered in about humanity, but the music of the saxophonist Remi Fox is the driving force of the visuals and the overall cinematic experience for its audience. This is an arthouse short if there ever was one.
Unwinding the Web (YouTube)
Unwinding the Web is not your standard type of short film. There are plenty of fun and exciting film competitions that happen throughout the year, and this winner highlights quite a special one. In honor of the 15th anniversary of the beloved Laika stop-motion film Coraline, Laika created a live action scene competition. Filmmaker Brittany Thurman takes her favorite scene and creates Unwinding the Web. Riley Madison Fuller is a pitch-perfect live action Coraline, with the right outfit and blue hair. Fuller does a good job of showing excitement and curiosity as she investigates a pair of strange hands. The nice little jump scare at the end of this pint-sized film is a great punctuation for Thurman’s recreation. The makeup looks like it is in a lower budgeted film, but it still captures the campy vibe of the whole scene. Quick and effective. That is all.
Zombie Movie (YouTube)
Wait… there is another? A few years back, Laika did another competition for their other beloved and creepy kid horror stop motion films, ParaNorman. This time, we were treated to the scene Zombie Movie, a fun, little, campy horror sequence. There are good physical human and practical production effects, along with some effective and convincing zombie makeup (all on a shoestring budget). There is a great grainy style to it all too, paying a nice homage to the schlocky 1980s VHS horror flicks that director Alex Magana obviously has a great passion for. The film features some fun visual homages to different horror scares and moments as well. ParaNorman is such a fun pseudo-horror film in stop-motion for children, and Magana captures the spirit, while creating something that connects deeper to what he loves at the same time. Zombie Movie makes a great companion to Unwinding the Web.
Pink Eye (YouTube)
Who doesn’t hate your whole day’s worth of plans being ruined by being sick? What would make it worse is having a condition that leaves you open to plenty of mocking. That is the case for our protagonist in Jacob Motz’s dark comedy short film, Pink Eye. Jesse Burgman is a strong, confident woman who has plenty to do the day she wakes up with pink eye. Burgman delivers a memorable and effective performance as she anchors this short, while also having some fun with big acting choices. This film has a bit of magical realism with Burgman’s eye speaking to her in her manic and anxiety-filled state. There are some gross and shocking moments that keep this unsuspecting little film firing forward. It also features plenty of mockery and hurt feelings along the way, and that is all great for building tension and suspense amongst the characters. Relatable in some ways and all too frustrating in others, Pink Eye has found a growing audience.
We Used to Own House (Vimeo)
Are you ready for a contemplation on the growing greed and increasing losses when it comes to housing? Australian director David Robinson-Smith finds a dark sensibility that explores the consequences of predatory landlords. There are haunting verses that echo during a tense confrontation between landlord and evicted tenant. These words have great weight and resonate in such a powerful way. We Used to Own House has plenty to say about our broken system, and it takes an artistic perspective. It only has a few minutes to capture the shattering of power dynamics and a home invasion that plays out in an unexpected way, but that short time makes for a haunting experience that will stick with you and have you thinking about the challenges of being a renter in today’s society.
You can read more from Shane Conto, and follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd