The film weaves technology and sexuality together to create the most skilled and arresting narrative about the journey with regards to his gender identity and the manner in which it comes to be located in his marriage. As Emelia and Jeff celebrate their twentieth marriage anniversary, they decide to experiment with virtual reality glasses that echo their deepest subconscious perceptions of the self. A hesitant and sceptical Jeff is encouraged by his wife to let go of his apprehensions and try them on. What follows next is perhaps something neither the viewer nor the couple could have expected. Instead of potentially a night of "kinky sex", as later on one of the characters goes ahead to call it, it becomes one of revelations and self-discovery. The film employs light and sound to conjure an atmosphere of unease, which is an echo of the uncertainty, nervousness and confusion of the characters themselves. The performances blend in most seamlessly with the camerawork which only enhances the mood and sentiment that have been invoked so far. Consequently, the story of the film is a beautiful one, striking the right chords and exploring the most worthy nuances. Indeed its biggest strength lies in the manner of using something as clinical and potentially cold as science, to engage with human emotion, identity and the idea of the self in the most delicate manner.

Vert | Short Film of the Day

The film checks off all the right boxes in terms of writing, performances and the manner in which the narrative holds itself together. It’s the story of two former lovers, meeting to return each other their things. What they say is in direct contrast to what is truly on their mind or what they wish to communicate to each other. Films, especially of a shorter duration, have attempted to convey the same sentiment previously, yet In Other Words brings to the screen a sensitivity and vulnerability which can be attributed primarily to its strong writing. The film is subtle in all manners of the word, another notable aspect since the emotions it manages to convey are of the raging category, one that applies to perhaps violent delights and their violent ends. All of it is wrapped together and presented to the viewer in the form of a beautiful viewing experience using soft colour palettes and an even softer background score. There are no loud camera angles or wasteful use of space. The script is tight, relatable and brings to life a situation rehearsed and performed several times in a person’s life, and still, no less painful.

In Other Words | Short Film of the Day

It is incredibly difficult to pin down the film to a single genre. Is it a romance? Comedy? Thriller - what is it really? This is not the only way the film will involve and confuse you - it has visuals which are intense, disturbing, disconcerting, and sometimes just straight up disgusting. However, whatever they might be, whatever the emotion they are going for, they are sure to make you feel very deeply, and that is first of the many successes of the film. It's tone is bewildering, sometimes packed with repulsion, sometimes with endearment, but forever goading the viewer to keep up as it swiftly moves from one emotion to another. It is unique, singular, disturbing (again) and entertaining all at the some time. Danny's Girl is not a film you watch with a sensitive stomach, or one for the viewer who is only looking for easily digestible content, and yet, despite it all, it will force appreciation and admiration out of you. The film also provides an interesting comment on how far can someone's maternal instinct go, on relationships and couples, the awkwardness of meeting someone for the first time, and a sexual scene which begins and ends on notes diametrically opposite to each other.

Danny’s Girl | Short Film of the Day

Sexual encounters and the awkwardness of first times are no new subjects or thematic concerns for a short film, and neither are stories of queer characters, slowly making their presence felt more and more with every passing day. However combining both to talk about the newness of a sexual experience between two characters who don't conform to heteronormativity, without falling prey to the trap of glorifying it or imbuing it with a tone of tragedy, is indeed a unique approach of crafting a narrative. It is precisely in this manner that Dirty infuses a fresh breath of air in the storytelling space by exploring a mundane reality, one unfortunately not engaged with enough, and simply presenting it forth without ostentation or unnecessary emotional devices. Consequently, the film's concerns are not positioned using the self and the 'Other' binary, or juxtaposed by employing heterosexuality against homosexuality, or by pivoting the plot on any such contrast. Instead, it takes the viewer into an encounter of two young queer high-school students, one more inexperienced than the other, and the hesitation, confusion, and an unexpected situation that ensues thereafter. Additionally, it is this dedication and meticulous attention by a story to its intentions that allow it a universality and authenticity, as Dirty goes ahead to exhibit. It is also in this that lies the normalisation of a situation without ever explicitly spelling it out.

Dirty | Short Film of The Day

If the premise of the film, a man choosing to be furniture for his wife (quite literally) is not bizarre enough, there is its accompanying opening visual - a man upside down, posing as a seat for someone to sit on. As the story progresses, the viewer is allowed the chance to make sense of this seemingly absurd situation which, behind the facade of ridiculousness, carries a strong comment on marriage. It further draws attention to the breakdown of communication between the couple where instead of realising what your partner truly desires (or perhaps even read their texts), you might end up over-compensating in a manner that does little to cater to their needs. The film is notably neat in the manner in which it conjures its visuals minus any loud noises, harsh light or bursts of colours. The conversation between the two characters is frugal, much like their house, following a minimalist approach to furniture. And just when one partner is done taking care of his futile efforts to be furniture, it is time for the other to step into the same role. As redundant as these efforts might be, it is perhaps the only way they can fill in the lacunas in their communication.

Bad Furniture | Short Film of the Day

The film turns out to be the most comforting, warmth-inducing balm for a cold, scared heart. As Fran goes about life, unable to make the desire to die and end her life go away, she also finds herself taking fancy to a colleague. When she finds Robert reciprocate the attraction, their story develops in the most calm manner, exploiting its economy of dialogues to the fullest. Both Sarbh and Wright-Mead bring a softness to the screen that is not easy to come by. In a sense the story indeed is a romance, but it's also so much more. It is a story about isolation and what can be potentially seen as melancholia and suicidal tendencies. It is about the nervousness and the fuzzies of a first date, as much as its about the awkwardness of new lovers and a failure to communicate affection despite all desire to do so. Consequently, with its gentle handling of the subject, marked more by silences than any noise that could mar its simple yet loud and clear style, the film becomes a beautifully crafted, sincerely executed piece of art that brings to the screen an evocative sense of endearment and tenderness.

sometimes, i think about dying | Short Film of the Day

The autobiographical documentary, a fairly loose category to define everything that the film offers, introduces us to Jem and Anna, and their relationship which ended seven years before the film begins to explore it. 

It is when the two decide to make a film on their shared past, nearly a decade after it seemingly concluded, that 'Baby Grand' begins to stretch its limbs, eventually presenting to you a story about memory, creative reconstruction, past, intimacies, vulnerabilities and how none of these can ever operate within absolutes, always bleeding, merging, and blending into one another. 


Consequently, more than definite points, the film becomes a product that is marked by its blurred lines, overlapping boundaries of reality, art, emotions and relationships. Without ever realizing, the viewer is invested in the outcome of this relationship, in the eventual fate of the (former?) lovers. At some point, the cameras and the lights disappear, and you are simply part of a very personal conversation, perhaps even eavesdropping. The film says, “When you recreate memories, you end up recreating feelings too”. It is indeed in this recreation that much of the film’s underpinnings come to take a distinct form. 



The characters, remarkable in their own right, are two disparate personalities. The quirkiness and eccentricities of one being offset by the reclusive, quiet body language of another. It is evident how at one point they could have been drawn to each other, and how at another, pushed each other away. 'Baby Grand', thus, becomes a love letter to their former selves, to a relationship that is lost, but not forgotten. It is precisely in this manner that the film ensures that though the relationship in itself is not constituted by anything supremely unique, it’s portrayal and storytelling stays with you long after you are done watching the film.

Baby Grand | Short Film of the Month

The short film invokes the most disconcerting narrative by portraying how sometimes the source of our worst fears are the very places which should have been associated with comfort and safety. The story is predominantly of a single night when a girl finds herself realising that her most fearsome and loathsome thoughts stem from a young man she has decided to invest herself too deeply in. The film further offers an interesting exploration of the dynamics of a heteronormative relationship where the boy threatens her mental and emotional security, if not physical. In a society where conversation around gender is gaining prominence, it is often convenient for oppressive tools of patriarchy to steer clear off overtly problematic behaviour that allows them to pander to their ego and sense of righteousness. Amidst all of this, what of the consciousness of a young woman trapped in a relationship with a man who stands for everything she abhors? The Rat is a potent comment on how women find themselves located in a society where patriarchy reigns free. The protagonist may have drawn whiskers on her face with little cat ears to go. However, when she wakes up to find her makeup smudged the following morning, would she find it in her to finally outplay the rat?

The Rat | Short Film of the Day

Based on a real story, the short film follows the life of a couple with three children who develops a voyeuristic fixation on their neighbors. Living across the street from them, the neighboring couple seems to have an aspirational life by all measures. They party into the early hours of morning against a background of passionate lovemaking and clearly seem to have it all together. This is positioned in direct contrast with the life of the film's main characters - struggling to catch up on sleep while taking care of three children, or simply trying to get a free weekend away from a world of work calls. The film is made in a manner that allows it to steer clear of over-sentimentalism and that perhaps is its biggest strength, along with convincing performances and strong chemistry of its actors. There is also an opposite side of the story waiting for the patient viewer who sits till the very end. However, the narrative does run the danger of over-simplifying the concepts it has set out to engage with, often subscribing neat black and white categories to its characters' experiences. Though well-intentioned, there is a want of nuance and complexity it would have benefited from.

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