‘Windows’ is a wonderful endeavor that takes you in the most unexpected directions, in the most seamless ways. A man has arrived at a destination but is unwilling to let go of his cab just yet. He is struggling with a dilemma, an impossible conundrum with no solution in sight. A truly marvelous (read: disconcerting) conversation ensues when he shares the same with the driver. 

The man has been cheated on by his wife with his best friend. As he waits in the car before he sets out to meet the couple for dinner, all sorts of violent thoughts cross his mind. A discussion of the same with the driver carries us down some very dark, disturbing paths. The film employs the limited space of a car most judiciously to conjure this circumstance. 

The conversation that develops is free-flowing, reducing us to the status of not a viewer, but almost an eavesdropper. The lighting exhibits control, and the storytelling skill, ensuring that the film succeeds at conveying all that it had set out to convey.

Windows | Short Film of the Month

The wonderfully understated premise of the film is simply a conversation that is so enrapturing that it transports you to a different realm... even if pretty inconveniently. Now, if you are somebody who is plagued by the anxiety of always hovering over the stove once you have something boiling over it, please check yourself at the door. Expect no such apprehensions from our chatty protagonist Will. When he gets a phone call at the start of cooking rice, a conversation ensues. It encompasses life updates, catching up, views on podcasts, as well as gossip about who’s hooking up with whom. 

Alongside the information exchange, however, the phone call takes Will on some very circuitous path, quite literally, eventually leading him to a circumstance far from comforting. 

The entirety of the plot is a quiet movement toward the moment when the film offers its final flourish. It's defined by a mellowness throughout, in company with controlled humor that ensures each punch lands. All of these elements are coupled with a notable performance, essentially a single actor adroitly shouldering the narrative throughout. Lastly, the moment the short engages with is not only portrayed adequately but also stays with the viewer in an entertaining, effervescent manner.

Will Makes Rice | Short Film of the Day

The film is an amusing exchange between two men located on opposite ends of a spectrum, the spectrum of love for pickleball. The conversation is between a therapist and a client, a devout lover of the sport, and a passionate hater, respectively.
It develops much like a match, from one opponent to another, all along defined by the film’s consistent lightheartedness. The narrative does not bog itself down with forced layers or complexities. The consequent straightforward approach to the story and screenplay works in the film’s favor, supported with ease by the back-and-forth banter of the two actors. 
Perhaps there could be more episodic snippets giving glimpses into their lives in the future, exploring more of this buddy-film-esque chemistry.

Picklelove | Spotlight

'Hello Mattress' is an interesting film to engage with. It is essentially a conversation between a couple, Zak and Sara. As Zak bids on a used (or 'slightly used', as he is quick to point out) mattress, Sara is a bundle of paranoia and anxieties about the origins of the mattress, and why it's current owner might be selling it. 

The conversation progresses to rope in the undead and hitmen looking for stowed away cash, while the narrative maintains its deliberate frivolity throughout. The main strength of the film remains the story it chooses to tell, a single moment in the life of two people. It further goes to show how this moment, simply by itself, is capable of invoking different emotions within the viewer. 

All of this is achieved in under five minutes, while using the same physical space. Though a little undercooked, the film definitely shows potential in its voice and storytelling.

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