The viewer should go completely unprepared into Egg On Your Face and then allow it to entertain, amuse and surprise them in its own skilled and sincere manner. However, for the sake of appreciating the film, it is impossible to not defy the aforementioned proposition and bring in the first defining word - mockumentary. And yet, just when one begins to chalk it away as a product of laughs, impactful but empty, there is a beautifully profound message that makes you sit up in your seat and acknowledge the unexpected moment that just hit you before you could realise where it came from.
 

The narrative takes you into the life of Blaisse Durant, realised most notably by Quentin Bruno's zealous performance, who has spent years perfecting the art of cooking eggs. From their history to social and cultural location to their origin, Durant has employed it all to prepare his business proposal, supplemented by the hours he has spent at Barnes & Noble, pouring over the books of Malcolm Gladwell. After such a foolproof strategy, there is perhaps little that can go wrong, right? That is the expectation the tone and the atmosphere of the film conjured so far would attempt to convince the viewer of. 

What follows next is a strange unfolding of events in quick succession, unpredictable for the audience, but never disloyal to the core intentions and consistency of the narrative. The film develops most smoothly, supplemented by camerawork and edit that exhibit verve and great energy and, in turn, compel the viewer to participate wholeheartedly in the story. However, the true triumph of the film lies in the manner in which it manages to locate an interesting message, heartwarming for some viewers, while a comment on society itself for others, even at the centre of all the chaos and absurdity it has presented forth all along.

Egg on Your Face | Short Film of the Day

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 it) 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

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

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.

King Wah (I Think I Love You) | Short Film of the Day

Health advisories have never been more colorful and trippy (with the most fitting background music to go) than this short film. Employing humour as a device when contemporary global reality feels bleak beyond salvation, here is a wonderful reminder for you to keep your wits by yourself in times of Coronavirus and the consequent Covid-19 infection. As country after country finds itself enforcing a lockdown to contain this contagious virus, where else can we turn to for comfort if not art? Beyond the topicality of its subject, it also boasts of adept technique and skilled execution of the video. Attempting to have fun with mobile filmmaking, How to Survive a Pandemic entirely relies on dim-lit shots to weave and narrate its story with finesse. The camerawork deserves special mention for the intelligent way in which it brings a fresh breath of air to every visual. The story is primarily of a woman, who could potentially be any of us, watching the endless deluge of news on the pandemic. With every headline and new update, she seemingly finds herself sinking deeper into despair. However, before allowing the overwhelming sense of imminent doom get the better of her, she decides to turn things around and voila! She is soon sipping on a homemade concoction of the antidote. While we may have still not reached the same conclusion as our fictional protagonist, there is indeed a lesson or two in calmness and rationality to be picked along the way from her.

How to Survive a Pandemic | Short Film of the Day

The short film is a uniquely hilarious glimpse into a brief encounter of two assassins with one of their victims. The setting is of a dim-lit luxurious room where a man is about to meet his end. However, instead of the usual violence and grimness that could be expected from such a setting, the viewer is surprised with humour invoked at the expense of the unsuspecting man who will soon be killed, but with utmost politeness and courtesy. The film exhibits efficient use of limited space as almost the entirety of the plot unfolds in a single corner of the same room. It further goes ahead to prove how a good story, when coupled with strong performances, indeed makes for an unforgettable product.

Client Oriented Assassins | Short Film of the Day

Based on a short story by Stig Dagerman, The Man Who Wouldn't Cry is a wonderful union of pastel colors, satire, absurdity, the skewed standards of society, and a hapless protagonist who finds himself at the receiving end of it all.
After the passing of a famous actor, Henrietta, an ad agency is consumed by their public (and perhaps borderline histrionic) display and expression of grief. To the viewer, this expression remains markedly superficial and disingenuous, meant more as a performance and outward appearance than bona fide sorrow.
 Martin, an illustrator at this agency, does not subscribe to the said practice. Needless to say, this does not sit well in a world that is determined to make everyone part of the same herd, be it in the form of social media opinions, or the reputation of an ad agency which eventually comes to pivot on Martin's grief (or the lack of it thereof). 
 As the film portrays all of these thematic concerns, it comes to exhibit unique storytelling and a refreshing, exciting approach. There is further a mirror held up to those disconcerting aspects of society that are so resolved to make someone grieve, a man who is deeply uncomfortable with sharing his emotions in the presence of others, that they indeed force him to the point of tears, albeit for reasons far beyond their comprehension. The world of the film is beautifully constructed, with each performance exhibiting finesse and sophistication. This is tied with the dreary reality of Martin's world, not vastly different from our own of social media updates and online documentation, delineated through the choice of fun, perky shades, but those that only serve to accentuate the contrast between Martin's internal and external reality further.

The Man Who Wouldn't Cry | Short Film of the Day

The story of the short film is simple and straight. It is told with a crispness (of acting, editing, pacing of the structure), with not a single moment wasted on any redundancies, that succeeds in making Standby a deeply endearing watch. The narrative is about the shared space of two cops as they go about their daily duties. From an awkward start to their relationship to all the warmth, concern and mutual support it comes to stand for - the film portrays it all. This storytelling is further enhanced by an efficient utilisation of the limited resources of space, albeit self-inflicted by the narrative, that holds the viewer's attention throughout. Visually the film is achieved primarily within a single, fixed frame of the front of the car of the two characters, Gary and Jenny. While they keep moving with the occurrence of different events in their lives, the camera remains at the same spot throughout. Seamless editing further ensures that this does not become repetitive, while also allowing the film to be a humorous, touching watch throughout.

Standby | Short Film of the Day

At first glance, it is easy to choose comedy as a suitable category for the film since humour does come across as an overarching entity in the narrative. However, give it a few more moments, and you soon realise the folly. It is a romance, yes, but one which is surreal in nature, it is embellished with mystery, intrigue, foreboding, echoes of fantasy and an experimental approach to share its story. The biggest success of Tots N' Pots lies in managing to intertwine all of these elements in a seamless manner. The effortlessness of the plot is further enhanced by an appropriate choice of actors that bring their performance to the screen with notable ease, ensuring that the viewer has no other choice, but to be fully convinced of their reality and emotions. Another noteworthy aspect is, of course, the story. Two lovers are fellow ceramicists at a facility where they find themselves being pulled in opposite direction by their seniors. Their contrasting approach to the course of event comes to voice the apprehension of the viewer as well. However, while they may be navigating the uncertainty of their career and relationship, what will their fate truly be?

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