It is at the intersection of emotional lines and the literal geometry of physical architecture that 'Refracted' is born. Gordi (Sophie Payten)'s haunting vocals are coupled with symmetrical structures that allow their intimacy, marked by a disconcerting beauty, to find visual representation. Lights and shadows are employed to suggest different levels of intensity, along with a whole spectrum of emotions getting echoed in the lyrics. 

 The music is equipped with an elemental incandescence that ensures that the final product works on multiple levels. Combining two of Gordi's creations - Extraordinary Life and Volcanic, as they are performed within the walls of the Phoenix Central Park in Sydney, Australia, the music video acquires a separate existence of its own. Its seamless, sophisticated visuals become the protagonist in themselves, alongside Gordi's spectral presence on screen. 

Additionally, both the performer and the performance, only serve to complement and enhance one another. On the whole, the final result comes to be marked by a powerful otherworldly quality that further ties together the various elements in an elegant, notable and skilled manner.

Refracted | Short Film of the Month

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 narrative introduces us to two lovers and a realm marked by separation, intimacy, and unmistakable vulnerability that ties it all together. The film and its namesake music album take audiences on a meaningful journey that is mapped and crafted with thoughtfulness and meticulous care. 

The several tracks taken from the same album conjure metaphors of love, relationships, heartbreak, acceptance, and loss. These are coupled with an intrinsic presence of nature, of thunder and lightning, of the vast expanses of the sea and the sky to further echo everything the narrative intends to convey. The rhythm of the music is tied to the emotional ups and downs of the protagonist, alongside being located within nature's many moods and hues, as if nature itself is the third character present alongside the lovers. 

The camerawork and the visuals it paints are equally and competently supported by the vocals that become an overarching, defining element of the film. The screenplay and the visual grammar employed are stunning not simply in terms of aesthetics but also the emotions they evoke. Consequently, the final result becomes a seamless union of skill and thought, with a deep authenticity of emotion and its expression.

What You Do Alone | Short Film of the Month

Right at the onset, with simply its title, the film sets the tone for several ideas pertaining to identity, beauty, and how we perceive ourselves, while also hinting at insecurities. 'Mirror' does not present a straightforward approach to these ideas, and instead, leaves it up to the viewer to make what they will of this tale which is marked by humor, unexpected moments of tension, and the plight of the protagonist amidst it all. 

Strange messages have been appearing on people’s mirrors all over the world, messages of encouragement, validation, and support. And yet, Dale’s message is far from that, it’s more of an attack on his personality. As he grapples with its meaning, the story takes the viewer down some very interesting paths. 

Is the film about Dale’s struggle with intimacy, and how he eventually overcomes it in an unexpected manner? Or is it a story of his deep unease with his own body, and its desires and wants, not without its undercurrents of homoeroticism, and is it only when he is able to make peace with all of it that a negative message finds a positive articulation in his life as well as the film? Or is it about none of this but an underlying threat of violence that takes him to a disconcerting corner, to an experience that he has sanitized for worldly consumption, giving people what they want to hear? 

The film raises all of these questions and answers none, and it is in these grey areas that it attains completion and becomes an entertaining, involving endeavor in storytelling.

Mirror | Short Film of the Month

The film opens in the intimacy of a cozy room where Josh and Mackenzie share a moment. Things between the two are getting heated when a sudden change in the conversation alters the tone and mood. Their passionate exchange comes to a halt as they begin to discuss what a purely sexual experience between the two on the last night of their trip could potentially mean for the future. 
Make-belief scenarios unfold, ideas of guilt and regret begin forming, and the what-could-have-beens and should-have-beens nestle themselves within the story. In portraying all of this, the screenplay and edit maintain an effervescence that not only stands it in good stead but also achieves a uniqueness of voice and storytelling. 
The circumstance in itself is not a unique one, but its portrayal becomes the most remarkable aspect of the film. The effortless chemistry of the actors, the two primary, but also of those who step in and out for brief durations, aids the storytelling notably. The film does not weigh itself down by trying to be anything it’s not, and in the process, allows its authentic voice to achieve all of this with ease.

What Are We Doing Here | Short Film of the Day

Romantic and marital relationships inarguably formed a crucial aspect of the many new realities that we struggled with during the 2020 pandemic. The short film explores one such equation while employing a tonality that uses both humor and seriousness in equal measure. The story, in the process, becomes the most notable aspect of the film, alongside the intention to explore the dynamic of a couple in all its subtleties and nuances. 
 
Nancy and Nikhil both battle their respective overwhelming work schedules, alongside raising two little girls. Consequently, the house is often left in a chaotic state of disarray. Much of the burden of sorting it falls on Nancy’s shoulders simply as a result of how gender roles often implicitly end up being defined in a marriage.
Despite his best intentions and dedicated efforts, Nikhil is unable to show up for Nancy in the way she requires. This, in turn, affects the romantic and sexual intimacy between the two. 
The storytelling does an earnest job of portraying how the two navigate the complexities that constitute this reality, while never allowing itself to be overburdened by emotional intensity, and instead, forever allowing humor to undercut the conjured tension. As for our two characters, they have a deeply meaningful realization awaiting them about the significance of small acts and a little more empathy toward one another.

Tiny Joy | Short Film of the Month

The conciseness of the film presents a swiftly unfolding narrative that covers a diverse emotional spectrum. From anger and doubt to love and heartache, all of these emotions are roped in to construct the world of ‘Foresight’. 

A man has arrived at an expert’s doorstep to use ‘foresight’ which enables him to see what lies in the future with the help of a device. At the heart of all his questioning lies doubts about a romantic partner’s fidelity. As technology is interwoven with deep emotional ties and dilemmas, one of the core thematic concerns of the film is allowed portrayal. It offers an interesting overlap between something as clinical and impersonal as technology, and something as intimate and close to one's heart as love and relationships. 

The narrative that is thus constructed in the revelation of this truth is marked by a seamlessness of visuals, screenplay and edit, alongside equally strong performances. Perhaps the plot could be developed further, and engaged with more deeply in subsequent projects that have the luxury of length. 'Foresight' definitely leaves the door open for that.

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