Trigger warning: sexual assault 

‘Trashy’ is a difficult film to engage with simply because of the deeply disturbing reality it brings to life. The film becomes even more disconcerting in the realization that the horror here is not of the actual act of grotesque violence, but of the many factors that aided the very existence of this reality. 

 The story is of one night when Naomi crosses paths with her estranged cousin Courtney, and the two girls embark on a journey of underage drinking and easy flirtation. However, despite the seeming innocence of these activities, the mundane naughtiness of all teenage life, the threat of something overpowering the narrative, and thus, the lives of the two girls before us, remains palpable throughout. 

A sinister world of shadows and seediness, too dark for the young girls to truly comprehend, is conjured for the viewer, a world from which there is no looking away, no matter how difficult the circumstance. The end result of the endeavor is a powerful story, fittingly bleak in the message it leaves you with. 

The reminder is to be free, to live your life defying the many inhibitions that may have been forced upon you, but not without caution, and definitely not at the cost of hurting those around you. Though the subject matter of the film spans repressed sexuality, and the close control of the female body, without getting preachy, it also exposes the underbelly of this well-intentioned parental and familial authority and the gross backfiring that it can potentially lead to.

Trashy | Short Film of the Day

Ascendant exists in a beautiful, cinematic, unease-inducing world of its own, developing organically, measuring every step, taking in every progression, before truly revealing its intentions to the viewer. A man wanders around in an abandoned greyhound racing track, allowing himself to take in the glories of the past, the grandeur of an age that has passed him by. As he moves from one corner to another, sipping on a drink from a forgotten bottle, looking at portraits of the greats of the racing world, the narrative draws attention to a sense of admiration within him, perhaps even a longing for a space he cannot inhabit any more. 

Additionally, the black and white cinematography, whether a deliberate choice or technical necessity - adds a sense of disconcertment to the film. It heightens your discomfort with a realm where doe-eyed hounds are pitted against each other, their bone structures humanly-altered to turn them into most optimum racing tools for human recreation. 

While the protagonist may have first allowed us a glimpse into his fascination mixed with curiosity for the lost age, it does not take long for all of it to soon turn to horror, shock and disgust. Do not think for one second that you, the viewer, would be distanced from any of these emotions. The film ensures, as a result of its visual prowess and sophistication, that you feel each of them very deeply. In the process, Ascendant becomes a paradigmatic example of powerful storytelling, which when coupled with technical skill, is capable of producing the most notable results.

Ascendant | Short Film of the Day

‘Sojourn’ presents a very relevant story, and shares it in an interesting, unexpected manner. As an investigation unfolds between Athena and Detective Sanger, we realize this is an exchange of equal adversaries. 

While one side may have come dangerously close to overpowering the other, soon the scales tip out of balance, and the narrative ropes in a notable employment of sci-fi thrill. A past defined by a grotesque coupling of kindness and violence, of compassion and cruelty is brought to life, one that forms the backbone of the film. 

The end result is not only engaging, but also furthers a crucial conversation in an impactful manner. It definitely leaves the door open for a longer project that dives deeper and longer in the world of the characters presented thus.

Sojourn | Short Film of the Day

The Fall Line offers itself as a thriller that smoothly steers clear of the low hanging fruits of the genre. Instead of taking refuge in a jarring background score or heady visuals, it brings to life a world marked by an eerie silence and muted palettes. 

Two rangers, Everette and Murphy, are wintering in a remote cabin at a national park. They are distinctly portrayed with opposing personalities, further revealed by the differing effects of the physical and mental isolation on them. The patience in one is offset by the annoyance in the other, if one's verbosity is notable, the other is defined by his laconic demeanour. It is precisely in this manner that the narrative draws you into its disconcerting developments without your being able to put a finger on what is exactly amiss. 

 The progression of events so far allows the film to succeed at invoking unease in the viewer, fulfilling its aim as a thriller. The final product thus becomes an engagement with the internal, disturbing aspects of the human mind more than the external, overt tools that are often employed within this specific realm of storytelling.

The Fall Line | Short Film of the Day

‘Bad Trails’ is a film about exhaustion, the inability to break out of it and the bleakness that is associated with this realization. The grimness thus enforced is tied with an unlikely realm - motherhood. 

Simply by establishing its premise, the film suffuses the narrative with a sense of foreboding that remains impossible to shake off throughout, even when the viewer might be momentarily tricked into believing in the possibility of a lighter, more colorful circumstance. 

A woman, who has run out of everything she has to offer as a new mother, finds herself on the side of a desolate highway, and soon runs into strange companions. As the interaction begins between them, whether developing in reality or simply inside her head, the plot’s preoccupations are presented to the viewer. The end result soon becomes an engrossing, and disconcerting watch, ensuring that it presents the audience with an intriguing exploration of parenthood and a woman’s location within it.

Bad Trails | Short Film of the Day

The opening image of the film is defined by a bright red - one that could suggest passion, romance, but also blood. Before you can make more sense of the violent act of a telephone getting thrashed to bits, you are immediately pulled into a visual that lies on the other end of the spectrum - serene whites, gentle smiles and the warm afternoon of a picnic between two lovers. 

 The first instinct might be to tie them together and expect a narrative about a romantic relationship gone awry, followed by loss and heartache. Instead, the film portrays a relationship between a man and his work, but one that has certainly gone terribly awry. As a life of endless phone calls, strings of emails, and pulling long shifts is invoked, reality bleeds into delirious dreams to entirely overpower Wallace's sense of well-being.

 As the protagonist drowns deeper and deeper in the overwhelming toxicity of a society where job benefits, pay-checks and your ability to be a 'team player' define your worth, the cacophony of it all is allowed a notable delineation. This is also aided and enhanced by a surreal approach where much of the drama operates within the space of symbolism and metaphors, each of them successfully conveying the intended meaning. While the film could have gained from a little more control on its lighting, it makes a compelling point about how addictive being good at a job can be, drawing a person into an infinite loop of exhaustion, further coupled with its devastating effects on mental health.

Are You Alright? | Short Film of the Day

Death, and the consequent pain, are two inevitable truths of the human condition, and yet, when faced with them, we find ourselves most ill-equipped to comprehend them. The short film is an interaction with the same premise, taking the viewer into the phenomenon and process of grieving, and the several ways in which it can affect a person. Once the mind chooses to take over and employ its means, is there a way possible to pull oneself back from the brink of - complete disintegration? The resurrection of a parallel reality? Hallucinations or imagining things that don't exist, even if they put one in mortal peril? The narrative raises all of these questions and offers an adequate representation of the age-old mind-over-matter proposition. In the aftermath of her brother's demise, Beth finds herself seeking the isolation and quiet of a family cottage, away from her mother and other people. However, it is in the silence of this solitude which could have perhaps been therapeutic for the protagonist, the most unusual occurrences take place. From seeing her brother Billy before her, to finding herself at the edge of a pier, about to hop on to a boat that doesn't exist, strange events take place to suggest the manner in which reality is unraveling for her. When faced with endless darkness and forces far mightier than her, both within and without, what will Beth choose that will come to determine the course of the rest of her life?

Windblown | Short Film Nominee

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

The protagonist of 'Phir Wahi Raat' is named after a dual-headed snake, Dvivaktr, suggesting a sense of duality that would come to define the rest of the narrative. As he finds himself at the centre of a strange experience, the story begins to stretch its limbs. Dvivaktr's dreams bleed into his reality, one more nightmarish than the other. His world comes to be constituted by violent events of murder, rape, bloody injuries, and yet none of it seems real enough to be acknowledged as a lived experience beyond the realm of dreams, albeit disconcerting. In the process, the storytelling, despite a few undercooked components, exhibits definite potential as the final result is presented thus. At the end of it all, an important piece of information, provided to the viewer like several crucial bits of information throughout the narrative, by way of radio announcers in the background, goes ahead to imply the causes behind the fractured psyche of the protagonist. All of these elements are thus weaved in a notable manner, presenting to you a devoted endeavor in executing the plot and its intentions.

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