What happens when a man only has 1500 words left to live? Does he rage against the arbitrary nature of life where words have come to reign supreme when it comes to human communication? Or does he accept silence as his fate and goes on with life with his head down? The film is a humorous yet heart-breaking exploration of the same dilemma as Stanley struggles to stay alive as well as his keep marriage afloat. In its own nuanced and comedic manner, the narrative further engages with the importance (or the lack) of silence in a relationship. As Stanley strives to extend his life, a very tough enemy remains to be conquered - the absolute human need to articulate - be it sadness, pain, anger, denial or love. Amidst all this rigmarole of emotions, expectations and duties, where will the protagonist finally find himself?

1500 Words | Short Film of the Day

Though inspired by the very real and very turbulent partnership of filmmaker Werner Herzog and actor Klaus Kinski, the film presents to you a singularly characteristic world that will absolutely refuse to leave even when you are done watching ‘My Dinner With Werner’. As the title of the near-namesake ‘My Dinner With Andre’ is turned on its head, we are presented with the scene of a dinner date with a disturbing predominance of…erm…chickens. 

Whether or not the viewer is familiar with Herzog and Kinski’s fifteen-year-long relationship, or the work two created together, the realm conjured by the film is sufficient to familiarize you with all the aspects that you need to be able to appreciate the drama unfolding before you. Replete with references that range from an irrational fear of birds, to a rifle incident gone quite nearly wrong, with a sprinkling of WrestleMania, the blind date stretches out its limbs, taking its time with each movement. Along with the director and his ‘friend’/actor, we have Christine, radiant, beautiful Christine, our crutch into this world of a bizarre friendship. 
 
A smooth edit and complementary visuals ensure that no path is left untaken in delivering a gloriously hilarious and entertaining outcome. The performances, chemistry, riffing become the silken ribbon that eventually ties the package together before it is presented to you to engage with.

My Dinner With Werner | Short Film of the Month

Don't you love it when a film draws you in with a certain perspective and then leaves you disoriented with its true intentions? Gigging does something similar for the unprepared (and perhaps unwitting) viewer by positing itself as a documentary on the lives and times of innumerable professionals across the US who somehow manage to stay afloat by picking up whatever little work projects that come their way. Of course the strongest tool the narrative employs is satire, but it would be unfair to confine all its achievements to a single word. There are comedic punches in the most unexpected ways that adopt the most unexpected tone making the viewer pause and wonder if they have been tricked into swallowing an insight they did not even see coming their way. The film takes you into the lives of three characters, a cab driver, a freelance content creator and a dog-walker. As their work days turn into the most absurd and unforgettable misadventures, humour does prove to be the most powerful tool to critique society and its several problematic aspects. From exploitation that makes you rationalise and internalise it (a character expresses gratefulness at not having health insurance because it keeps him extra vigilant about his health. Umm...?), to employers who are perhaps in situations as pitiable as the freelancers themselves (a fledgeling start-up ending up with a logo that has strong phallic overtones) - the short film brings it all in its narrative to put forth a film that is hilarious, engaging and unabashed in its analysis of the subject matter.

Gigging | Short Film of the Day

Luke, Tilly, and Bridie are headed out for a night of romance and intimacy. In this experimental and surreal dreamscape, there truly are no limits to everything they are about to experience, everything except perhaps the very thing they have set out to achieve - romance. 

The narrative introduces us to their misadventures in the most exorbitantly creative manner. A realm where unbridled creativity reigns free is conjured. The animation is not only seamless and expertly handled, but also unabashed and fearless. However, the world is without restraint only seemingly for it is very closely tempered with thought and control, ensuring that each image or the metaphor it carries, or even the lack of it, works wonderfully within this surrealistic, madly colorful space. 

As for our three characters, their encounters turn into the most unexpected circumstances one after the other. The viewer’s journey with them, down the path of the promise of love, would be equally adventurous and involving.

Single - Meat Cutes | Short Film of the Day

Libby and Erin are new parents to a little boy who has arrived with a few hiccups in tow, circumstances they are not entirely prepared for. There appears to be a disconnect between them in the resolution of these, one which becomes the driving force and the primary thematic concern of the narrative. As their doubts and uncertainties are exposed for a conversation, it is a plate of placenta around which the drama unfolds. 
The afterbirth becomes a nexus of anxieties, discomfort, and uncomfortable conversations. The screenplay, chemistry, and most crucially, prop support (!), each outdoes the other in bringing this reality to life, presenting a film that is not only sincere and heartfelt in an effortless manner but also manages to express all its gravitas with humor and drama tied together. 
While our new parents might have a thing or two to figure out about this massive change in their lives, the film and its execution remain clear and steadfast in the expression of its intentions all along.

Placenta Pâté  | Short Film of the Month

‘Navi Boys’ is a beautiful, and efficient, utilization of resources, performances and writing to portray a single moment, a conflict, and the confrontation, struggle and the eventual resolution that constitute it. Mike and Elon present to us a day in their lives where they conduct a podcast, the eponymous Avatar-fan podcast, that leaves no stone unturned in committing to the authenticity of the said universe. 

With absolute dedication to the fandom, makeup and linguistic requirements, the two friends share their love for the film, and its sequel, with their listeners. However, Elon has an important announcement to make as well on this particular day, one that would leave the future of the podcast, and in many ways, of the relationship that he shares with Mike, deeply uncertain. 

The true triumph of the film lies in the manner in which the myriad elements are united into a seamless whole. Drama, intimacy, and humor become part of the entire spectrum of emotions delineated within the narrative. From hurt, disappointment, a sense of betrayal, to acceptance, forgiveness, and of course, friendship - all of these are engaged with remarkably, taking the film home with ease and sincerity.

Navi Boys  | Short Film of the Month

The short film offers romance and a potential love story in the most unexpected ways. The manner it adopts for the execution of its story is unexpected, unpredictable and perhaps even the stuff of (albeit borderline twisted) dreams. The colours are intense and the visuals overflowing with a passion you might find difficult to pin down a particular character or event in the film. A reticent delivery man carries takeaways to doorsteps of unusual customers who refuse to pay him his due. He lets this bitterness find a voice in the fortune cookie messages he writes for them. Amidst all the humour and eccentricities of this narrative, this becomes a surprisingly humane touch to the character as well as the film. From ones of kindness and comfort, to those of absolute dismissal and anger, the messages cover the full spectrum. One night, however, a woman with a bloodied bandage over an eye and a story of an experience as disorienting as her appearance, finds her way to the restaurant the protagonist works at. The whole film has been moving towards this, and when it finally arrives, it is that one promised moment of comfort in this surreal narrative of dark colours, seedy characters and intriguing images.

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