A desperate intern, an exploitative senior, a vain television show host, a corrupt pharmaceutical company, a conscientious professor, and an existentialist, indifferent author - all of these myriad elements constitute the world of ‘Daily Bread’. The film presents an interesting, tense, and drama-packed crossroads of its several components. Their journeys and the eventual convergence takes place during a live television show where an intensely divisive topic is up for conversation. 

A pharmaceutical corporation has developed a medication that claims to bolster immunity to previously unencountered levels. However, when questioned by its detractors, the company’s representative on the show is unable to provide any transparency on what truly constitutes the medicine or a concrete defense for the lack of inclusiveness in their customer base which is defined by privilege. Amidst the heated argument and the underlying stressors that involve the host as well, little do the participants realize that a far more violent and shocking development is awaiting them right around the corner. 

The narrative offers a zealous effort in roping the many layers within its screenplay and visual progression, coupled with satire and ironic humor. Even if some punches fall a little short of going the entire distance, the end result manages to tap into the swiftly devolving situation, chaotic and overwhelming, to finally tie all loose ends together into a composite whole.

Daily Bread | 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

It’s hard to not be taken immediately by the world the film conjures. Located in the second half of twentieth-century USA, it is constituted by a woman, her television set, and a teddy bear called Rodney who, she insists, has some crucial information regarding the fate of humanity. The ensuing space becomes isolating as much as it is inviting. 

Sophia lives on her own, except for the mysterious Rodney and the harrowing news headlines on her TV, also reminiscent of contemporary news bulletins. When she is visited by her son-in-law, Frank, it is the conversation between the two that allows the viewer a longer glimpse into her world. 

As she insists that the fate of humanity is heading towards its doom, again, echoing modern-day fears pertaining to the human race, Frank’s difficulty in believing her propositions becomes very much at one with the viewer’s disbelief due to the premise they are based on. Things continue to develop swiftly, building tension with every passing moment, until the characters truly reach a point of no return. The final result of the film offers a single moment in time, a single conversation on a particular night. It would indeed be interesting to see it developed as a longer project.

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