The world of The Meditater [sic] loves its potatoes and there are no two ways about it. With that out of the way, let's proceed. The audience is introduced to a nervous, unsure protagonist in Bennett, a fresh college graduate stuck in an abusive, unpaid internship. 

 As his financial woes continue to mount in the face of an exploitative job, and his living quarters confined to a dismal corner of his cousin's kitchen, some terrible developments await him in the face of seeking peace. The voice of his meditation app acquires an identity of its own, ensconcing itself deep within his mind, sharing instructions and suggestions even when Bennett is not plugged into his phone. The absurdity and ridiculousness of the suggestions, especially amidst rising tensions, only serve to echo one of the thematic concerns of the narrative - the futile attempts of holding it all together with a puny band-aid when the whole system is collapsing and bleeding profusely under systemic oppression of capitalist structures. 

 The pursuit of 'inner peace' in a world which deprives its young people of basic financial ability to secure a roof over their heads or buy something as simple as an ice cream ensures that the comment is loud and clear in its articulation. The portrayal is especially commendable in the manner in which it shares all of this with a generous sprinkling of humor. Without making itself overbearing, the film presents forth the comment, the role of the ubiquitous presence of potatoes within it, and all that they collectively mean for our hapless protagonist.

The Meditater | Short Film of the Day

It is a fact universally acknowledged that if there is a shrieking kettle present in a scene, something is about to go awfully wrong. First the film establishes its premise for you - two friends, Norman and Kevin, trying to get their musical its stage debut, while the former struggles with financial troubles. However soon after the crux of the plot arrives, with the aforementioned kettle in tow, when Norman finds himself in the most unexpectedly morbid situation. 

While it holds the potential of making his money worries go away, it is a deeply disconcerting situation for the viewer. 

 The most notable aspect of the film lies in the same nonchalance it consistently imbues to all the varied circumstances, irrespective of their location on the emotional spectrum. This allows it an effervescence, a sense of lightness, that stays with you long after you're done watching the film. It is precisely for this reason that even though things might be spiralling into absolute chaos for the characters, there is still humour to be found in the narrative, albeit at their expense. 

At the end of it all there simply awaits the realization that despite several forces, unlikely developments, the musical in itself and the constant tussle of the undercurrents present within the film, the overarching thought that ties them all together is the friendship of Norman and Kevin, which perhaps then becomes the real protagonist of the narrative.

Teenage Jesus | Short Film of the Day

How quickly do loyalties change when money, or even making any kind of actual effort to help someone, is involved. This idea forms the core of the narrative which is hilarious, entertaining and involving in equal measure. 

The film opens on a very crucial day for Sylvia. She has just ended her marriage before coming into work. However, her day, and life, is about to be turned upside down when she wins the lottery for ten million dollars. Contrary to what one might expect, this development soon begins to give way to all of Sylvia’s woes.

 As one character after another enters the circumstance to present their claim on the money, the hapless protagonist is left wondering at the quickly falling domino pieces. The chaos continues to mount, taking the viewer along on a journey of insurmountable obstacles in the face of having too much money, a statement very few are worthy or even capable of making.

What Do I Owe You? | Short Film of the Day

In a world where despair often seems to reign free and things appear bleak and despondent, stories about kindness and hope gain a renewed significance. The short film is an endearing and heartwarming example of one such story. An old woman, one day, hears her neighbor talking about a sum of money and how Krishna, a Hindu god worshipped by several Indians, has sent it to her in reply to a letter. Our protagonist thus gets determined to send out a letter of her own, also requesting the god for a small amount of money, to the utmost shock of her neighbor's son who she has roped in to write and post it. The film has an intimate tone throughout, along with a portrayal of the deep devotion towards divinity and the childlike wonder that people often develop in old age. There is further an efficient utilisation of limited resources to tell a simple, but compelling story with a sweet message at its core. Additionally, Dear Lord Krishna, evidently a sincere and dedicated attempt at storytelling, leaves the door open for more projects of the kind by the young filmmaker, Jhanvi Gadhvi.

Dear Lord Krishna | Short Film of the Day

The short film endeavours a social commentary on the contemporary state of affairs in the US, soon branching out to how the same issues plague the whole world, and all of us collectively as a society. It spares no one in its sharp approach adopted to engage with the concerns. All of these views are presented forth while being veiled as a documentary that exists within a fictive space, one which has no qualms about revealing its intentions. It declares politicians and people in positions of power vampires who have recently come forward and revealed their true identity. 

 The blood-sucking demons of fantasy and folklore, thus, now become metaphors for those who are sucking the life force of society, financially and otherwise, leaving their victims lifeless or struggling to survive. The conversation ropes in several names to support the critique - from Oscar Wilde to Noam Chomsky to Rutger Bregman, to name a few. In the process, the viewer is left with an exhaustive engagement with capitalism, economic development and its ramifications on different sections of society, debt, profit - the nature, the burden and the curse of it all. 

 Though initially it might appear that despite the declaration of several exploitative forces and individuals to be vampires, the film maintains a tone of satirical objectivity, it soon makes it clear which side of the conversation it has located itself on. Citing the French historical drama La Commune (Paris, 1871) as one of its inspirations, Vampires, They Exist?! remains simple in its approach throughout, coming across as a sincere effort, albeit in need of a little more fine-tuning on the level of narrative construction, to tell its own individual story.

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