The good, the bad and what it could have been - it is perhaps these three narratives that the short film invokes. A man wakes up one morning to find several missed calls in his phone, and the news of a tsunami of catastrophic proportions on the television. The countdown on the news shows about two minutes left until the waves strike the shoreline. The next visual is of the protagonist looking out of his window to reveal the beach on which he lives. As the plot corners him into a place without the possibility of escape, the viewer too finds themselves pushed down a meandering, endless tunnel of the emotional journey of the trapped man. Thus begins a flow of memories, starting from his childhood up to the point of his current circumstance. From being a solitary figure, he is gradually endowed with a humaneness as the audience too becomes a participant in his experiences that, in turn, gives rise to a more intimate connection between them and the story. The film employs flashbacks and flash-forwards to communicate its message. Motifs like a red clock and a walking stick are utilised to give a sense of the forward moving motion of time, along with offering a portrayal of pain and the role it plays in this non-linear narrative which subverts all structures of chronology. The visuals are elegant and the VFX smooth, allowing Tsunami Falls to succeed on different levels.

Tsunami Falls | Short Film of the Day

The film opens on a quiet note of a calm voice-over weaved with a blank background. This, in no, way prepares you for the events that are about to unfold, deliberately taking you in a direction opposite to what may have been assumed so far. When a woman introduces you to a man, the first instance is to let yourself be deceived into this being a love story. On the contrary, it would be a story of violence, hurt, and most importantly, of a panic attack. 

The moment the viewer finds themselves located at the heart of Lisa's desperate attempts to bring herself back from a panic attack using sense grounding, most skilfully employed within the body of the narrative, little do they realise that they have already been sucked into the story beyond the point of return. The narrative then follows a non-linear, back and forth movement to conjure the past events that led to this intensely emotional moment for the protagonist. 

As the drama is built gradually, tactfully withholding and revealing information in turns, it is evident that we are headed towards an inevitable disaster. It is indeed in the realization of this lack of control in stopping the forward motion towards a potential catastrophe that the true success of the film lies. It further makes a pertinent, emphatic comment about violence and abuse in intimate equations and relationships, eventually leaving you with a conclusion which, though disturbing, is tinged with poetic justice, and for the morbid viewer, perhaps even with a strange sense of satisfaction.

Sense Memory | Short Film of the Day

A marine biologist works into the night when unexplained noises from under the water's surface halt her work. As another expert steps in to unravel the mystery of the sounds, while also alluding to the menace of plastics and their onslaught on the environment, the most shocking reality unfolds. 

The film presents a swift introduction of not only the strange circumstance at hand but also a glimpse into Amy, the protagonist’s world. There is loss, and perhaps past trauma, coupled with a fierce sense of protecting the memory of a partner that has been left behind in its wake - components all of which rope in deep unease into the story. 

Without truly offering the cause and effect, and what has led Amy to this moment, a sinister situation is portrayed for the viewer. The film does an efficient job of not only using the limited aspects of a story but also a confined physical space to bring all of this to life in its brevity. Additionally, it leaves the door open for a longer exploration of the moment the film presents.

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