Drawing inspiration from a famous children's character we all know, a boy with an exceptionally long nose, the short film delves into a metaphysical exploration of existence and being. The animation exhibits impeccable skill and the manner in which it utilises different kinds of animation - from roughly drawn sketches to the use of light and colours splashed across the screen to a swift movement of images from one frame to another - ensures that it is no less than a true visual treat. This is further coupled with an equally surreal, albeit brief, usage of a background score. In case all of this was not sufficient to end the list of embellishments working most beautifully for Nosis, there is the thought behind each visual, both disconcerting and poetic at the same time. The narrative does a marvellous job of tying it all together and presenting it to the viewer as a complete product. The story in itself is of a boy who may have learnt to make peace with his unusual nose, but he is yet to find out the power it holds within. Once he unearths this truth, and the abilities he has found himself in possession of, his existence transcends all mortal realms of understanding and experience, and thus begins a long journey of acquiring knowledge. However, at the end of it all lies a dark reality, one of a being having interacted with a reservoir of knowledge that was perhaps not intended for someone in the mortal world. When all of it has unfolded, where will the protagonist find himself located in this unfathomable scheme of things?

Nosis | Short Film of the Day

‘Gomorrah’ invokes the Biblical city of sin in its title which serves as a fitting metaphor for the reality unfolding before us. We are presented with a space of debauchery and excesses of all kinds where everyone, but more so the protagonist, is eternally damned and tied to this dismal fate. 

The first-person narrative paints for the viewer a world of substance abuse where all that matters is the next hit, and its potency to drown everything else that once was right until that moment. As the Virgil-esque protagonist, Francis Dykes, leads the viewer into this particular Hell, he is also allowed a moment of intimacy and affection, fleeting as it might be, amidst the despair. 

Gorgeous cinematography, lovely background score, and top-drawer performances put together the film for the viewer. The writing invokes a very brutal, visceral realm located inside a metaphorical heap of rubbish, to borrow an analogy from Francis’ monologue. It does an adept job of portraying the desire to disappear, the self-hate, dread of existence, alongside an unabashed, fierce look into the world of addiction.

Gomorrah | Short Film of the Day

‘Women Lockdown’ is an intensely personal conversation about dreams, hopes, passions, but also things that weigh you down, stand in the way of everything you want or desire. 
The tonality and approach remains beautifully intimate throughout as the narrative introduces us to five women. The authenticity with which their experiences are brought to life allows the film a universality that works most wonderfully in its favor. 

The visuals are experimental, suffused with symbolism and metaphors, coupled with a background score that further amplifies the sentiment the narrative intends to convey. The emotion thus brought to life is honest and poignant, as the conversation, and the ensuing visuals, continue to flow with ease and seamlessness.

Women Lockdown | Short Film of the Day

In a world that battles spiritual and moral decadence, excesses of the body and seemingly limitless debauchery, our protagonist Orfeo, acquires the role of a contemporary Dante Alighieri on a quest to comprehend the idea of freedom and the meaning of existence. The film is especially notable in the manner in which it brings all of these concerns to life employing skilled, seamless visuals and equally strong writing to not simply match, but also enhance them. 

As Orfeo progresses from one corner of the night to another, moving from a Hellish den of addictions and promiscuity, to an isolating cab ride and then to a sudden encounter with a stranger, the narrative invokes almost a sense of nyctophilia with its portrayal of the night and its darkness. However, the emotional or mental darkness that it could potentially signify is not a welcome thought, but one requiring analysis, and even the pursuit of an escape from it, if one is possible to begin with. 

The film is grim, but poetic in its exploration and engagement with the human condition. The thematic issues it deals with are disconcerting, a similar disorientation also conjured by way of its visuals, but alluring in their surreal beauty. Consequently, traversing this landscape marked by its carnal nature, and an inherent meaninglessness, also becomes an exercise in admiring the aesthetics of darkness, one which is broken and interrupted, albeit in a controlled manner, only by city lights, or by the brief warmth of companionship, as fleeting as it might be, or in the hope that nights are sometimes accompanied by glowing stars, and always by the hope of a morning that would follow soon after.

The Hermit in the Night | Short Film of the Day

The burden of human existence, and the pursuit of finding meaning within it, can acquire oppressively overwhelming proportions if allowed to grow. Neil Bishop, the protagonist of the film, finds his thoughts overpowered by the same preoccupation, leading him down a path from where there is no turning back. With a story that could any minute attain the tonality of a thriller, the disconcerting narrative continues to develop.
 
 As Neil moves from one house to another, meeting scores of people in a single day of work, delivering their lost luggage to them, all that he is allowed is a mere glimpse into their household and life. However, amidst the noise and chaos of activity of those around him, where is he truly located? While grappling with the question, he stumbles across a woman, nearly unconscious due to medication. 

 In her suffering and pain, he perhaps senses a kindred spirit of sorts. If not that then morbid curiosity leads him to take a longer, harder look at her existence as he combs through her luggage. A brief synopsis of her life is presented to both him and the viewer - once part of a happy marriage, she now lies in bed with injury or illness (or both), her face covered in bandages. 

Along with divorce papers, sex toys and lingerie, a vanity of colorful make-up lies ignored with tipped over medicine bottles and vials, dripping away their liquid, in a manner quite similar to the forever forward motion of life. 
Employing the deeply disturbing events that follow, and the distance covered so far by the narrative, the film is thus able to raise and leave the viewer with a pertinent question - are humans any more worthy, significant, relevant than perhaps a lost piece of luggage, awaiting to be delivered at its destination, and even then, to what end?

Lost Luggage | Short Film of the Day

An empty subway takes you into the world of the film marked by a very strange event that threatens to annihilate the very existence of humanity. Amidst it all is a protagonist, Sunny, confined to a bar with only a dog for company, awaiting the arrival of a friend or colleague. The introduction to the latter is only by way of voice messages, while the former moves from one corner of emotional and physical isolation to another. 

 The visuals come across as one of the most standout characteristics of the film, along with the efficient use of limited space, and a smooth edit. The performance of the film's sole actor also does a notable job of bringing out the effects of isolation, along with the despair and uncertainty of waiting. 

 In the process, Last Call becomes a unique, engrossing union of a joie de vivre vibe with an apocalyptic reality. The union can perhaps even serve as a disconcertingly lovely metaphor for contemporary existence. On the whole, the visuals and performances triumph over the other elements in the film, not because the rest are any less, but because these two are specifically skilled. It would be interesting to see the short film developed as a longer, more cohesive narrative.

Last Call | Short Film of the Day

‘The Factory’ conjures a world that is deliberately sterile, marked by the absolute control of its beings, and their thoughts and existence. An ‘Overseer’ watches upon newborns, ensuring that they are aptly educated in this world’s way of life which leaves no room for deviation from the fixed order of things. 

As they move from one stage of development to another, still barely coming to terms with this newly formed life of theirs, tools of indoctrination are ready to snuff out any and all illusions of free will, and instead feed them ready-made ideas that are most beneficial to the functioning of the said society. 

The film invokes a dystopian world of strange beings, and yet, the ideas that mold this world are no different from those that shape our very own lived reality. The animation and its coupling with storytelling, though borrowing from past iconic pieces of art, is unique and individual in expression, and therefore manages to tie all the various components together smoothly.

The Factory | Short Film of the Day

Ray Ashford has ventured beyond the endlessness of the cosmos as part of a team of space explorers. They are all on a mission to find a planet that would support human life after earth has been rendered useless for the job. While the premise in itself echoes several endeavors of the genre with similar preoccupations, the film does its bit to conjure uniqueness, and should be appreciated for the same. 
Despite the set-up of a remote corner of the universe and a lone warrior aboard a sterile, silent ship, the core motivations of the film remain simple and direct - love and the desire to build a home. It is precisely these sentiments that propel the narrative forward. 
The film marks a seminal and hopefully first of the many attempts along the path of finding his voice by the young filmmaker, Blake Simon. The storytelling exhibits potential and leaves the viewer with the promise of more.

Goldilocks | Short Film of the Day

Teddy has found herself at the gates of afterlife, but it is nothing the viewer might expect. The realm is marked by a complete ban on any kind of communication, as the mute members of the community work on the approvals and rejections of those passing through this purgatory. 

Though the premise might have asserted fantasy, a sense of dystopia also enters this space of absolute control with no room for any individual voices. Amidst it all lie brief moments of intimacy, the promise of companionship, and the dashed hopes of what a peaceful existence might have looked like. 

The project is not devoid of its rough edges, especially in the communication of its intentions and ideas. However, it exhibits deep potential, definitely paving the path for more such storytelling and narrative-building by the young team.

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