Luke, Tilly, and Bridie are headed out for a night of romance and intimacy. In this experimental and surreal dreamscape, there truly are no limits to everything they are about to experience, everything except perhaps the very thing they have set out to achieve - romance. 

The narrative introduces us to their misadventures in the most exorbitantly creative manner. A realm where unbridled creativity reigns free is conjured. The animation is not only seamless and expertly handled, but also unabashed and fearless. However, the world is without restraint only seemingly for it is very closely tempered with thought and control, ensuring that each image or the metaphor it carries, or even the lack of it, works wonderfully within this surrealistic, madly colorful space. 

As for our three characters, their encounters turn into the most unexpected circumstances one after the other. The viewer’s journey with them, down the path of the promise of love, would be equally adventurous and involving.

Single - Meat Cutes | Short Film of the Day

The film presents to us three seemingly unconnected narratives that glimpse into the lives of characters who would be anywhere but where they are. 

A man goes to a restaurant to read. After finding himself distracted at home, he literally physically moves himself from his immediate circumstance, and yet, here again, there is no sense of belonging to be found. A state of emotional unhappiness follows him, irrespective of the change in his physical space. The same is true of a young woman who wakes up with a start only to spend her first few waking moments doomscrolling on her phone. The movement that might have the potential of making either of the two feel even remotely better thus seems to be an internal journey, as opposed to an external, literal movement. 
The third circumstance is of a little girl who is entrapped in a world constructed by adults with virtually no power of her own. While adults might spew unsolicited life advice, her eyes remain wide with the inability to make sense of a world she finds herself located in. 
Without a single thread that emphasizes the explicit coherence of the three components of the narrative, a lot is left up to the viewer to take away from the film. Or perhaps the film’s job is to simply present disassociated, disconnected characters locked in a world of mindless consumption as well as creation of content. The emptiness and vapidity of it all indeed seem to be the underlying message of the film, the thread to tie it all together. Though the performance, screenplay, and narrative-building, all are achieved with skill and seamlessness, the obscurity inherent to the narrative might not be for every viewer. The door is left open for them to approach and interpret it in their own manner.

The Jokes | Short Film of the Day

When a disillusioned, overworked production assistant finds himself in the most unlikely situation one day, a story belonging to the realm of the absurd begins to unfold. ‘Mayonnaise’ presents a world which starts off as being extremely authentic to the space of a film set, more specifically, a food commercial, but soon devolves into a ride the viewer has just not seen coming. 

Once again, filmmaker Eli Spiegel’s (‘Stain’) voice and tonality dominates, presenting Sam’s bleak perspective regarding his career prospects, and his turning to Sarah, a young but seemingly successful producer on the commercial, in an impatient bid to figure out some sort of a career trajectory for himself. 

The first and the second half of the film, however, come across as disparate parts, unable to present a lucid link that ties them cohesively. Though the approach of the film is unique in its absurdity, it might leave some viewers wanting for a better cause and effect equation within the narrative. Either way, the end result remains deeply entertaining, brought to life with finesse as well as commendable performances and effortless chemistry between the actors.

Mayonnaise | Short Film of the Day

With his dog as a constant companion, and listener of all his woes, Ari soldiers on trying to figure out the best way to lead his life. Archival footage, and pop culture references, to name a few elements that constitute this colorful, eclectic ride, are imbued with a tone of intimacy and the personal, all along tackling the age-old question echoed in the title - how to live. 

Tied with the internal struggles of an artist, and the meaning they might seek in their creative processes, in the act of constructing something from scratch, the film also presents elements of docufiction as well as of an autobiographical documentary. However, the sentiment that prevails above all is the eventual heartwarming culmination of Ari’s journey. 

The film is a success not simply because it entertains, amuses, and involves, all of which it achieves with ease, but most importantly because it leaves audiences with a sense of invincible hope that only accentuates the narrative's inherent uplifting ideas on life and the wonder of the journey that it has to offer.

How to Live | Short Film of the Month

The film is a wonderful union of a little bit of humor, and a little bit of the absurd, sprinkled with an endearing message about kindness. On the day when the story opens, the protagonist wakes up to find the words “your welcome” imprinted on his forehead in stubbornly dark ink that refuses to budge no matter how hard he tries. 

From nail salons to car washes to his own aggressive scrubbing - nothing really works. Right when he is at the end of his rope, exhausted and given up, something unexpected happens. 

The film thus evidences a sweet tenderness at its core, combined with an unexpected act of endearment, that ties it all together. Its approach remains direct and simple, albeit alongside an experimental tonality to its event progression, ensuring that each sentiment and idea, visual and emotional, employed within the final result is a success.

Your Welcome | Short Film of the Day

A solitary figure takes us into the world of the film, and it is primarily his voice that accompanies the viewer to make sense of all that unfolds. A realm of tight close-ups constitutes this space. It is a fitting visual landscape for the paranoia and the resultant isolation that are presented to the viewer. At its core rests a terrible tragedy, an accident that altered the course of the protagonist’s life in an irrevocable manner. 

The narrative does not delve into the hows and whys of this moment for too long, instead, it simply presents it, an experience of a life that is far removed from society. The emotional impact is achieved not only with the sustained pace of the end result but also with the disconcerting silence of a house where the protagonist is the sole inhabitant, pronounced well in the visual grammar. 

The film remains consistent in terms of the execution of its intentions, as well as the clarity of its portrayal throughout, notably supported by performance and screenplay.

Things That Didn't Happen | Short Film of the Day

While trying to come to terms with his relationship with his father, the protagonist gives the viewer an intense, unabashed look at everything the relationship has meant for him. The narrative explores the co-existence of an all-consuming, overwhelmingly powerful love, positioned right beside the complete absence of it, or worse, its transformation into anger, bitterness, and resentment. While there may be hope and desire for a bond between two people, if the foundation is already festering, there is little room for any kind of redemption or salvaging, the film suggests. 

At the film’s start, we are presented with the image of the protagonist writing something, but if it’s a literal reality of him writing something based on his relationship with his father, or is it only a metaphor for him re-writing the relationship itself in his head to eventually find closure and thereby move on, becomes a relevant thought to engage with. 

As the plot develops, talks of dreams and writing find their way into it, coupled with Shakespearean lyricism. However, each element only leads to the same discussion, the portrayal of a highly damaging equation, and the power it still has over the protagonist. He may feel suffocated, and uncomfortable, presented alongside the Oedipal image of a son inflicting violence on his father. There may be harking back to the childhood games, and yet, all of it always remains punctuated by something graver, heavier. Pain, hurt, and disappointment never leave the narrative, finding an echo within the screenplay and performances, while being portrayed in an engaging, experimental manner all along for the audience to interact with.

How We Play | Short Film of the Day

‘The Masterpiece’ stands out for the theatrical quality it brings to life in its visual progression, and ties it with an unrelenting and unstoppable staccato tone. As the stage is set for the drama to unfold, we are introduced to the protagonist, Cristian Fredrick who plays himself in this short film that packs the journey of a life in under ten minutes. From being diagnozed with a terminal illness as a teenager, to becoming a therapeutic painter, the narrative portrays the humongous distance covered in between by the artist. 

The story unfolds to reveal within its folds debauchery, excesses, but above all, the insurmountable desire to survive, to overcome the obstacles, irrespective of how Herculean they might seem. 

The overarching message that seems to tie the final result together thus becomes one about grit and courage, the reminder to not give up. It becomes the celebration of a journey where the the masterpiece is not something external, but internal and indeed what you make of the self, what you make within.

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