The short film attempts a lot of things and succeeds at all of them most gloriously. The narrative is an engagement with the transience and impermanence of things in so many ways. It foregrounds the inexorable passage of time felt in every moment of it, further emphasised by the voice of the narrator, overflowing with a gravity that will set the pace just right for the plot to develop. The film is also a visual feat achieved most effortlessly by the seamless weaving together of a sprinkling of live action visuals with stunning animation. Primarily using the location of a beach the protagonist grew up on, the sand in itself becomes a character, the medium of narration, taking the viewer by the hand on her journey. There is still so much more the film engages with - female friendships, the forever forward moving path of life from childhood to adulthood, an underlying strain of homosexuality, the relationship between the past, and the present and the unreliability of memory. Guaxuma does a stellar job of tying it all together, without making it look like a laborious task, and before the viewer can realise it, they have covered a huge distance within while seemingly partaking in the experiences of the protagonist.

Guaxuma | Short Film of the Day

Zoo is a notable union of a powerful story and equally strong visuals to supplement it. In terms of technique, the film follows all the rules of sound, music and camera angles to create an atmosphere of suspense, uncertainty as well as to mount action, and yet, it does not come across as pedantic. The storytelling, instead, is marked by efficiency and seamlessness. While the narrative raises potent, urgent questions about a desperate need of the hour, the approach adopted for the same is simple, making its message all the more impactful in the face of complete absence of garish devices or tools. 

The film is a comment on racism, drawing the viewer's attention to a conversation specifically around police brutality that shook the world and made it sit up the past year. However, it should be noted that it brings in personal experiences, ensuring that it is not simply a macrocosmic narrative about a white and a black man, but also of two people with their own internal, individual struggles and frustrations. Further, the manner of treatment of this dissatisfaction offers a sharp contrast. For instance, a white character, who comes from a space of entitlement owing to his racial identity, is convinced of being allowed the opportunity to inflict violence on another with impunity, even in the face of all calmness and rationality received from the other party. 

Your dissatisfactions are perhaps then allowed to find expression in the violence and cruelty you inflict on others if you are of a certain race, lurks the subtle comment within the folds of the film; like in a zoo where we are all animals, waiting to give in to our bestial sides under the right circumstances. Or worse, since the existing hierarchy is engineered to dismiss the marginalized further to a realm defined by the absolute disregard for their life. 

Though the technique and visual approach of the film has already been appreciated, it is important to mention the same again. The film deliberately drops visual cues regarding what is to come. For instance, it is a beautifully ominous shot of our protagonist peering into a store while metal rods make their presence felt against a glass window, making the scene suggestive of incarceration, a prison. It is precisely after this moment that the tone of the film changes. The plot moves from personal, localised struggles of debauchery and petty thefts to a thematic concern that would come to raise potent questions about systemic racism and oppression. It is especially important to invoke this particular visual image at this juncture because it further asserts the film's title - the reality of a world where a black man is born within the cage a festering society has already chosen for him. 

Additionally, there is an emphasis on the fierceness of youth which is allowed to you depending on your racial identity. The body language of a white man before a potential figure of authority offers a disturbing juxtaposition with that of a black man. 

Within the body of the film rest several significant comments while it continues to maintain its crispness throughout. There is a portrayal of how mindless violence often leads to a cycle of hatred, an action-reaction equation, a cause and effect. One attack on the oppressed can sometimes lead to a retaliation the oppressor did not expect. The film does not take sides regarding this reaction, it only presents it to the viewer in an objective manner. 

What is especially notable about the final product is that it manages to bring in all of these concerns (and more) to encourage a pertinent discussion on the reality of existence determined by your racial identity. The same is achieved organically, without stumbling or using cliches or sentimentalism as crutches. It is indeed in this confident assertion of its thoughts, the consequent clarity of the message and the eventual realisation of these intentions that the success of the film lies.

Zoo | Short Film of the Day

Crude Oil is the most bizarre splash of colours, amalgamation of sounds and tying together of visuals. It is glorious in its surrealism and the many hues and shades it employs to share its story with the viewer. Essentially, the film is about female friendships and the potential toxicity they can harbour. It is also about superpowers, useless or useful, but definitely made pointless when they are put to use to end FOMO or get extra olives on a pizza. The narrative does wonders with its edit and sound, ensuring that the viewer is in for a dreamy ride (disconcerting or not). It gives visual representation to memories, thoughts and anxiety, allowing you to be an intricate part of the protagonist's experience. The film also offers a portrayal of controlling relationships and the potency of realisations. As the protagonist completes a journey of struggling with ideas of self-worth, facing the nature of her relationships with seemingly the two most important people in her life and finally realising the horizon of possibilities before her in an angry outburst, the film proves to be a deeply involving interaction significantly unique and refreshing in its tone and approach.

Crude Oil | Short Film of the Day

Though inspired by the very real and very turbulent partnership of filmmaker Werner Herzog and actor Klaus Kinski, the film presents to you a singularly characteristic world that will absolutely refuse to leave even when you are done watching ‘My Dinner With Werner’. As the title of the near-namesake ‘My Dinner With Andre’ is turned on its head, we are presented with the scene of a dinner date with a disturbing predominance of…erm…chickens. 

Whether or not the viewer is familiar with Herzog and Kinski’s fifteen-year-long relationship, or the work two created together, the realm conjured by the film is sufficient to familiarize you with all the aspects that you need to be able to appreciate the drama unfolding before you. Replete with references that range from an irrational fear of birds, to a rifle incident gone quite nearly wrong, with a sprinkling of WrestleMania, the blind date stretches out its limbs, taking its time with each movement. Along with the director and his ‘friend’/actor, we have Christine, radiant, beautiful Christine, our crutch into this world of a bizarre friendship. 
 
A smooth edit and complementary visuals ensure that no path is left untaken in delivering a gloriously hilarious and entertaining outcome. The performances, chemistry, riffing become the silken ribbon that eventually ties the package together before it is presented to you to engage with.

My Dinner With Werner | Short Film of the Month

Cramming is a beautiful exploration of a single moment that throws the friendship of two boys into complete chaos. Alex and Yan Bo are waiting for their final assessment to begin. While the former has clearly worked towards it, the latter is confirming the span of the syllabus meant for the test only a few minutes ahead of it. However, the result of the assessment reveals that one of them has copied all the answers from the other. While the viewer can easily ascertain who copied from whom, the teachers, and the disciplinary committee they have put together, are as far from this clarity as one can be. 

 On the face of it, the premise of the film is fairly direct and simple, but it is indeed the simplest stories that carry the deepest meaning and message. Cramming is a perfect example of the same. For the viewer, it brings to life a marked delineation of an instance that can serve as a memory that perhaps each of them would be able to relate to, one that comes carrying strong links to their own past of nervousness, anxieties and stress before an important examination. Additionally, the meticulous attention to detail that the film pays to this moment, allows it an authenticity that enables the story an undeniable connect with the audience.

 The film is subtle, but powerful and lucid in every intention that it communicates for the viewer, acquiring a freshness of tone, marked by the most effortless and unexpected moments of humor. It further brings to life a nuanced, but potent conversation on prejudice and bias which prestigious institutions exhibit in their treatment of pupils, a form of stereotyping and inert discrimination that stems, and unfortunately often trickles down, from the adults and the custodians of power themselves, as opposed to the children who are yet to be inducted entirely into society. As for our two lead characters, they exhibit vastly different personalities, expertly pronounced by the filmmaking approach of Dan Perlman, to infuse a deeply enriching layer to the story, ensuring that the viewer is as invested in the fate of their friendship as the characters themselves. 

 On the whole, the film raises important questions about interpersonal dynamics, the nature of friendship which can range from unbreakable to extremely fragile depending upon its handling, the manner in which bias operates in society, leading to the Othering of an unsuspecting, reticent child, how two people with contrasting personalities can be drawn to each other. In its engagement with these aspects, the narrative does not bog itself down with bombastic or didactic views. Among its other strengths, it is notably in this that the success of Cramming lies.

Cramming | Short Film of the Month

‘Navi Boys’ is a beautiful, and efficient, utilization of resources, performances and writing to portray a single moment, a conflict, and the confrontation, struggle and the eventual resolution that constitute it. Mike and Elon present to us a day in their lives where they conduct a podcast, the eponymous Avatar-fan podcast, that leaves no stone unturned in committing to the authenticity of the said universe. 

With absolute dedication to the fandom, makeup and linguistic requirements, the two friends share their love for the film, and its sequel, with their listeners. However, Elon has an important announcement to make as well on this particular day, one that would leave the future of the podcast, and in many ways, of the relationship that he shares with Mike, deeply uncertain. 

The true triumph of the film lies in the manner in which the myriad elements are united into a seamless whole. Drama, intimacy, and humor become part of the entire spectrum of emotions delineated within the narrative. From hurt, disappointment, a sense of betrayal, to acceptance, forgiveness, and of course, friendship - all of these are engaged with remarkably, taking the film home with ease and sincerity.

Navi Boys  | Short Film of the Month

Using dialogues as a precious commodity, the film invokes a powerful narrative about a sense of loss and parting. As Alex' relocation to another community in Miami begins, Loggy, her best friend, finds it difficult to cope with the change. The palpability of her anger and grief is achieved expertly by the narrative. This is owed majorly to the positioning, structuring and weaving together of the few, but significant events in the story. From doing each other's hair to building a little memorial to mark the move, Liberty employs subtle tools to portray the grief of its characters. The story in itself is told in a simple and direct manner, and it is in this that the success of the film lies. It does not take refuge in grand gestures or gaudy techniques to convey what it had set out to at the start. With strong performances and convincing chemistry, the film makes full use of its cast. The camerawork ensures that the viewer is entirely engrossed in their story and the writing keeps the pace just right. Consequently, owing to the wholesomeness of all of these elements, the gravity of the movie is successfully communicated to the viewer, now an equal participant in the loss of the protagonist.

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