It's incredibly difficult to pin down what this film truly means to a viewer. It is ethereal and visceral at the same time. It is extremely complex, nuanced, evasive, and yet, at its core, has a simple premise. While the subject it deals with is endlessly layered, its voice and tone is fairly straightforward. But wait, what genre does it belong to? Is it dramatic, surreal, violent in its execution of its story? Is it all or none of it? As you struggle with the questions and their answers, it is indeed in this compulsion you feel to engage with it that the success of the film lies. The body of the narrative is the poem of the same name by Olivia Gatwood. Though both Dani Pearce and Gatwood belong to different parts of the world, having first participated in the conversation around this short film virtually, Backpedal further goes on to exhibit the transcendence of art, the universality of an experience when it's treated with absolute honesty and sincerity. The story becomes a commentary on gender, the desperate need of adolescents to fit in with their peers, in general, and of young women trying to fit in with their male counterparts in particular. Violent images of a murder are invoked, as are those of grief, tragedy and loss. It's astonishing how much the film manages to convey in its short length. Further, it's unequivocally loud and clear in its message, one expressed in an experimental manner, ensuring that the story and its images will continue to haunt you, making you return to it over and over again after your first interaction with the world conjured by Backpedal.

Backpedal | Short Film of the Day

It is Halloween, the festive, carnivalesque spirit has begun to stretch out its limbs and before you know, three drunk men are lugging a metal post box-esque contraption across the corner of a street. Minor acts of vandalism are not stuff of nightmares, but this specific object soon becomes the MacGuffin of ‘Wastelanders’, propelling an unsuspecting man’s life into absolute chaos. 
 

As wonderfully bizarre as it sounds, this is the premise of the film, a complete punch of crime, action, thrill, all neatly packed within a few minutes. 

A drunken night with his friends has left Adam in possession of this mailbox that now needs to be taken care of. However, in the process, some important paperwork is also discarded with it. When Adam returns to retrieve it, a terrible development awaits him, and he gets swooped up in the rigmarole of a violent, criminal act that is threatening to run out of control. 

The consistency of the world conjured with the storytelling and characters, suffice to say, exhibits finesse in execution, approach and tonality. Despite the simultaneous development of the several events, the film upholds the lucidity of its plot, ensuring that the viewer is equally invested in each of these events. 'Wastelanders' is a well-handled film, leaving one with the prospect of more such storytelling by Patryk Terelak and Rockwell White.

Wastelanders  | Short Film of the Month

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

The short film is a uniquely hilarious glimpse into a brief encounter of two assassins with one of their victims. The setting is of a dim-lit luxurious room where a man is about to meet his end. However, instead of the usual violence and grimness that could be expected from such a setting, the viewer is surprised with humour invoked at the expense of the unsuspecting man who will soon be killed, but with utmost politeness and courtesy. The film exhibits efficient use of limited space as almost the entirety of the plot unfolds in a single corner of the same room. It further goes ahead to prove how a good story, when coupled with strong performances, indeed makes for an unforgettable product.

Client Oriented Assassins | Short Film of the Day

An aspiring screenwriter, Will Wright, is struggling to write his first feature. In the same pursuit, he seeks out a remote cabin that belongs to his grandmother, hoping that ideas would come to him in the quiet. 

Much to his dismay, however, instead of finding inspiration, he runs into a very unlikely stranger. The latter may have rubbed Will the wrong way at the start, but he soon realizes that the stranger might hold the key to the plot and story he has been seeking all along. 

What follows next is the most bizarre set of developments, but those that sit very well within the universe of the film. The narrative maintains consistency when it comes to the treatment and execution of the plot and story, punctuating itself with humor, thrill, unexpected violence and shock, all in equal measure. The conclusion eventually ties the various elements together to present us with a story that is both thrilling and humorous in equal measure.

Writer's Block | Short Film of the Day

The short film allows itself little space to truly stretch its limbs, yet manages to overcome every self-imposed limitation and challenge successfully. A single-shot film with a fixed frame, it is simply a conversation between a mobster and his seemingly new recruit. The physical space is utilised to the last detail as is the chemistry between the two characters. The way their energies are conjured to complement each other is truly notable - an indifferent rookie, unaware of the consequences of his actions paired with a high-strung, experienced gangster who is completely aware of how truly things can go wrong for them. As the two weigh out their options, and the mess gets messier, the film does a distinguished job of keeping the viewer involved. The simple storytelling style further enhances the experience, allowing the narrative balance and skill without any overt, explicit plot or technical devices. While the subject it deals with can potentially be violent and gory, it manages to undercut it with its humour and comedic timing. The energy levels continue to rise, even the indifference of the younger thug evaporating to give way to a slowly-descending panic, reach the crescendo, finally followed by a conclusion the viewer definitely did not see coming.

Dead Ringer | Short Film of the Day

Straddling a serious genre, often marked and defined by its grimness, with something like humor that lies on the other extreme, is never an easy task. The decision to do so is especially a courageous one for if things go wrong, they can go terribly, irrevocably wrong. The short film aims for the same, mixing thriller with humor to present forth the dark comedy of a dinner party, and ensures that all its punches land at the intended destination. The scene is of a meal table dominated by tacos and avocados, where four characters attempt to comfort a man whose girlfriend Kate went missing about two days ago. The backbone of this premise is further formed by technology and its deep infestation in the form of social media marketing and its omnipresence in our lives. Consequently, if you are indeed planning the murder of your partner, there would almost always be enough evidence of the act on your devices and in your search history, no matter how hard you try to hide your tracks. The film portrays all of this and more in an entertaining, engaging manner, keeping you involved in its developments throughout. There comes a point when it may appear that the narrative is headed towards a foregone conclusion. However, it leads you to that point, simply to foil all expectations, neatly tying the ends together at its close.

Where's Kate? | Short Film Nominee

The story the film wants to tell is one of deceit, intrigue, betrayal and violence. It has murder, blackmail and double-crossing all roped in to enrich the plot further. Essentially, the narrative is driven by the disagreements between two pivotal characters, Kaya and Declan. 

The former has snatched from the latter an important career position that he felt himself more worthy of. This development ensures that revenge takes the form of the driving force for what follows next. In the process, the film becomes a devoted attempt to portray all of these underpinnings and ideas. 

 Shot within a limited time frame of a pandemic-ridden world, Ghost of Tomorrow strives to use its actors and their performances most judiciously to present the final story to the viewer. It also attempts to keep its storytelling taut as one development gives way to another. While Declan finds himself consumed by the darkness to avenge what he lost, what would truly be his fate? This question remains central to the plot, eventually finding its answer in an unexpected manner, aimed at invoking shock in the audience.

Ghost of Tomorrow | Short Film Nominee

The narrative introduces us to two characters, Roger and Breanne - assassins who are struggling to stay afloat during the pandemic. It further attempts to experiment with its approach by never revealing the faces of the characters while sharing their story. 
Even though the job at hand requires them to commit a murder, and move on from there, a longer glimpse at their partnership reveals more forces at play. From concealed affections to sushi dates to the dearth of work ‘projects’ that pay, the partners discuss it all. 
However, just when the story seems to have reached its culmination, a plot twist subverts it all, enabling the narrative to share its final flourish with the viewer, in an attempt to enhance itself, while also offering a little play on its title.

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