In a world that battles spiritual and moral decadence, excesses of the body and seemingly limitless debauchery, our protagonist Orfeo, acquires the role of a contemporary Dante Alighieri on a quest to comprehend the idea of freedom and the meaning of existence. The film is especially notable in the manner in which it brings all of these concerns to life employing skilled, seamless visuals and equally strong writing to not simply match, but also enhance them. 

As Orfeo progresses from one corner of the night to another, moving from a Hellish den of addictions and promiscuity, to an isolating cab ride and then to a sudden encounter with a stranger, the narrative invokes almost a sense of nyctophilia with its portrayal of the night and its darkness. However, the emotional or mental darkness that it could potentially signify is not a welcome thought, but one requiring analysis, and even the pursuit of an escape from it, if one is possible to begin with. 

The film is grim, but poetic in its exploration and engagement with the human condition. The thematic issues it deals with are disconcerting, a similar disorientation also conjured by way of its visuals, but alluring in their surreal beauty. Consequently, traversing this landscape marked by its carnal nature, and an inherent meaninglessness, also becomes an exercise in admiring the aesthetics of darkness, one which is broken and interrupted, albeit in a controlled manner, only by city lights, or by the brief warmth of companionship, as fleeting as it might be, or in the hope that nights are sometimes accompanied by glowing stars, and always by the hope of a morning that would follow soon after.

The Hermit in the Night | 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

The philosophical engagement with the ideas of good and evil have plagued human consciousness for millennia. The equation gets more complex when we bring to it the notion of God - an omniscient, omnipotent being who either allows evil as part of a grand scheme, or has no power over and therefore is perhaps not omnipotent, or maybe He is simply indifferent to it. It is precisely these thoughts that the short film attempts an engagement with. The narrative develops as two parallel strains - one unfolding inside a therapist's office where the protagonist, lying on the couch, recounts his memories. The other is defined by the portrayal of these visions. The simultaneous development of both allows the story to gradually build its tempo as well as the tension inherent to the events developing on screen. The eternal struggle between the forces of good and evil as they try to triumph one another, remains the core concern and the guiding force of the plot. However, now that the protagonist has led you to a point of no return, which of the two will be finally victorious?

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