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. <br><br> 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. <br><br> 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. <br><br> 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

When you are done watching ‘He Won’t Belong’, an emotional resonance lingers. In the loss, grief, and trauma the narrative portrays, even in how the visuals wrap themselves around all of these sentiments, the lingering remains omnipresent. <br><br>

The film is the story of two strangers, Theo and Connor, stumbling across each other in the most unlikely manner. The former finds the latter wandering alone by the side of the road during a storm. The chance encounter, however, leads the two, and the viewer along with them, down a path of deep emotional truths, sometimes painful, sometimes disturbing, but forever demanding to be felt and acknowledged. <br><br>

The authenticity of the voice with which the film is constructed remains loud and clear. Additionally, it presents an approach to queer storytelling that explores the nuance and complexity of personal journeys that is often easy to overlook. The performances bring to life a remarkable portrayal of vulnerability as they explore ideas of love with heartbreaking honesty. The visual progression is equally stunning, painting for the viewer an image that will stay with you, linger, as it may, long after you are done watching the film.


He Won't Belong   | Short Film of the Month

The question at the heart of the film is what is the price you are willing to pay for your freedom, to not cower in shadows but unequivocally assert who you really are, and eventually live a life of acceptance, love, and hope? The answer to this is also beautifully and seamlessly nestled within the film as it introduces us to Sasha Smirnov, a Russian gay man who had to leave his country when his sexual identity became a direct threat to his life and safety. <br><br>

In Sasha, we see a man who has built a life from scratch in the US, a country far, far away from home. He is the most fitting subject to tell a story of resilience, hope, one of surmounting tremendous adversity, and yet, never losing the ability to put one foot in front of the other, to always look to the future and all the potential it holds. In the protagonist, we see the inimitable and rare combination of vulnerability and fierceness. Sasha is unmissable in the sense of hope he conjures on screen, while always being fully aware of the past, and how burdensome it can become sometimes. <br><br>
The narrative-building and storytelling of the film are compelling and skilled, alongside being notably efficient in introducing the viewer to its protagonist. It is clear in the articulation of all its intentions, and in presenting a story that is not only heartfelt and meaningful but also a well-balanced combination of self-affirmation and vulnerability, and the loud and emphatic assertion of never giving up on the hope of a better tomorrow.



At Home Among Strangers  | Short Film of the Month

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. <br><br>

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. <br><br>

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

Libby and Erin are new parents to a little boy who has arrived with a few hiccups in tow, circumstances they are not entirely prepared for. There appears to be a disconnect between them in the resolution of these, one which becomes the driving force and the primary thematic concern of the narrative. As their doubts and uncertainties are exposed for a conversation, it is a plate of placenta around which the drama unfolds. <br><br>
The afterbirth becomes a nexus of anxieties, discomfort, and uncomfortable conversations. The screenplay, chemistry, and most crucially, prop support (!), each outdoes the other in bringing this reality to life, presenting a film that is not only sincere and heartfelt in an effortless manner but also manages to express all its gravitas with humor and drama tied together.  <br><br>
While our new parents might have a thing or two to figure out about this massive change in their lives, the film and its execution remain clear and steadfast in the expression of its intentions all along. 



Placenta Pâté  | Short Film of the Month

The short film is honest and intimate enough to make the viewer feel inadequate at their unwitting peaking into the private life of its two characters. The plot is simple and is told with a deeply impressive sense of sincerity. A couple wakes up one morning in bed, and after a failed attempt at sex, a fight ensues. <br><br> The performance by Jen Tullock is definitely one of the most remarkable things about the narrative, along with the judicious use of space. The entire drama of the film unfolds within a small studio apartment. The camerawork is smooth and effortless, almost making the viewer forget that they are not actually physically present with the characters. Add to it a convincing chemistry and an expertly told story by director Joey Ally, and the film becomes a well-rounded, balanced piece of cinema sure to be worth the viewer's time and attention.

Partners | Short Film of the Day

The title of the film, the very first step that you take into its universe, suggests a sense of fluidity. Consequently, when we are introduced to the 24-year-old Marsh who struggles with his feelings for another man in the closeted society of the eighties USA, it seems like the next logical progression. The narrative establishes a quiet tone and pace for itself right at the start, a calmness that would consistently pervade and mould the rest of the film. Along with the organic pacing, the manner in which the discomfort of a queer man, and his anxieties are brought to life in an uptight world, are handled with elegance while, at the same, raising the question - why specifically was this time period chosen to locate Marsh in?

<h2>Director and writer David Lykes Keenan describes it lucidly when he says, "The real story that inspired the film took place in the 80s shortly after I moved to Austin (Texas, USA). Fortunately, the tennis center where it all happened hasn't changed much in 40 years so we shot a lot of the film there. Another important thing to remember is that there was no Internet in those days, no Facebook to search for people, literally no way to meet or contact someone you didn't know and had no way to find." <br><br> 

<img src="https://i.imgur.com/pU1gbDDl.png" />  <br><br>

"I don't think this story would work in modern times. My meeting Rich (on whom the character of Rivers is modelled) that night was pure chance. It was one of the most exciting moments of my life. Thrilling even." </h2>

Keenan's own personal experience of an unexpected encounter with someone, who would later go ahead to become an invaluable friend, found its way into the film and constituted the focal point on which the plot pivots. <h2>"In real life, Rich and I went on to become best of friends. He was the first person that ever knew that I was gay. As it turned out, Rich wasn't. Our friendship was massively bittersweet for me as I learned how heartbreaking unrequited love can be. But looking back, I wouldn't change a thing", adds the director.</h2> It is the same sense of emotional complexity and nuance that Ellar Coltrane brings to their portrayal of Marsh. There is a vulnerability about Marsh which is moving to the extent of making one feel protective of a character who does not subscribe to heteronormativity, has no one to share his experience with, and yet, is fully aware of his desires. At the same time, he exudes a sense of hopefulness about overcoming his inhibitions one day and going after what he truly wants. <br><br> <img src="https://i.imgur.com/7Dj4Uo3l.png" /> <br><br>

Keenan agrees with the presence of this sense of hope in his film for more reasons than one. 
Firstly, it is an echo of his own dreamlike experience that gets translated on screen. Secondly, where would life, or even art, truly be without hope to tie it all together? <h2>"I had seen Rich at the tennis center on a few occasions before so I knew he went there. I would go up on the top of the clubhouse where one can see all of the courts, just as Marsh does in the film, to look for him. Hoping against hope that maybe, just maybe, a dream might come true. Ellar played it beautifully. I am so incredibly proud of their performance".</h2> 

Keenan further asserts, "A life without hope is unbearable", also allowing the thought to find its way into the film's ending which can be interpreted as being deeply hopeful for the viewer who chooses to see it thus. <br><br>


However, to tell a queer story that is located in the eighties, hope is not the first sentiment one might reach for. And yet, 'Bodies of Water' finds its way to the precise emotion. Keenan adds that it was his intention to leave the conclusion open-ended. <h2> "What was on the slip of paper that Marsh read at the end? I wanted the viewer to imagine what it might be", he says. </h2> We might never know the details of the note left for Marsh, but, on the brighter side, it has written on it exactly what you want it to be, or taking it a step further, how you want to believe Marsh' story ended. Would it then be erroneous to accept that perhaps, even if only briefly, our protagonist is allowed a moment of the love and acceptance he seeks?


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