The film utilizes its brevity most efficiently to achieve narratorial tautness, as well as capturing the viewer’s attention throughout. Three men are about to commit a crime that requires them to wear masks. The choice of disguise involves the two Affleck brothers and Matt Damon. 

Unfortunately, as the situation would have it, no one wants to be Cassey Affleck. The ensuing disagreement, and the crossing of paths with an unexpected fourth character, become the pivot on which the story hinges. The film portrays a circumstance that does not delve into what came before, or what might come after, and as a bite-sized installment, remains fully palatable, and some more. 

The chemistry between the actors is effortless, and care is taken to maintain the same effortlessness throughout the plot which is sometimes flippant, sometimes irreverent, but entertaining and amusing throughout. The shenanigans and banter together constitute the world of ‘Rise of the Good Will Gang’, ahead of a momentous event right at the brink of potential violence, and absolute chaos.

Rise of the Good Will Gang | Short Film Nominee

The film has a singularity of tone that becomes its most defining characteristic. One night while delivering a pizza, Rylee ends up at Jesse’s doorstep, her former boyfriend who has moved houses since the end of their relationship. If this was not uncomfortable enough, her car gets broken into, with her wallet and crucial items stolen. 

As Jesse and Rylee come together to go on a wild goose chase based on evidence they have gathered from the site of theft, the film not only presents a story of suspense but also a personal emotional journey the two undertake vis-a-vis their relationship. While there is chemistry and suggestion of romance in the narrative, there is also intrigue and adventure. Not all aspects of the film take themselves too seriously, and that seems to be a deliberate choice within the realm of the detective story. The end result, albeit not without a few snags in terms of production, presents a completed trajectory of the two characters, and how the chaos around them ensures this completion.

Personal Pizza | Short Film Nominee

The first glance into the world of 'Good Intentions' might lead one to expect the humor and banter of a buddy film, and the initial moments might perhaps only serve to strengthen this expectation. However, the narrative has very different plans up its sleeve, as it soon progresses to reveal. 

 After breaking into a house, Charlie and David are in a rush to complete the task at hand and head out, and yet, something stops them in their tracks. When they stumble across an unlikely inhabitant, found under the most strange circumstances, they know they are now embroiled in a scenario beyond the point of no return. As events unfold, the plot covers an entire spectrum of emotional states - from humor, and moral dilemmas to stress, thrill and suspense. 

 All of them are eventually building to the final reveal, and when it finally arrives, it does indeed tie all the aspects of the plot together, but would it also carry forth an equally neat conclusion for the characters as well? The question is raised and answered, while the film condenses several falling pieces into a few minutes of high tension, attempting to engage the viewer throughout as it presents to them the misadventures of the duo.

Good Intentions | Short Film Nominee

It has been an action-packed night for Sam - the night of his final robbery before he hangs up his boots for good. However, things do not seem to be going according to plan. As he awaits his companions to join him at the decided location, a laundromat, all that he receives are either abysmal updates about them in roundabout ways or radio silence. Amidst this circumstance of intense stress, another development awaits him - running into his former lover. The film simply serves us an event, opening in media res and allowing itself to develop thereon. There is further the decision to adopt a monochromatic palette for the visuals, offering us the said circumstance minus any distractions or over-embellishments, perhaps in an effort to isolate and pronounce the unravelling of the situation at hand. 

It would be interesting to see a more elaborate exploration of the premise, along with some additional details about the beginning, middle and end. It would further allow the viewer to understand the dilemmas, motivations and eventual destination of the characters. Having said that, the film in its current form should be approached and enjoyed as a suspended moment in time, and the many ramifications of the swiftly unfolding events.

Tumble | Short Film Nominee

The film, as the title suggests, is about a burglar breaking into the house of an elderly couple. However, contrary to the horizon of expectation established in the viewer's mind so far, the narrative is marked by lightheartedness, and the immense surprise and shock of the robber when he realizes what an unlikely foe awaits him on the other side of it all. From a crossword puzzle to evasive guns and bullets, all of them become tools and objects that propel the narrative forward. Much to the dismay of our unsuspecting criminal, things only go bad to worse, throwing all his plans awry. Despite the rush he is in, he is unable to control the swiftly unraveling events, until he has reached a point of no return. The tone remains marked by the same chirpiness it had opened with right till the film's conclusion. At the same time, the plot keeps the viewer uncertain about the fate of the three characters. When the answer finally arrives, would it be what they might have expected?

Home Invasion | Short Film Nominee

The short narrative offers an interesting mingling of visuals with music to offer a story completely devoid of all dialogue, barring a few words exchanged over cellphones. Amidst this is the life of two men who are struggling to make ends meet. When they find themselves pushed further against the wall due to financial trouble, they decide to execute a robbery and make some quick cash. 

 However, things go south faster than they could have anticipated, leaving the protagonist in a complex situation. It is by portraying these characters and the decisions they choose to make that Carrier presents its intentions to the audience. There is further the attempt to bring in a quirkiness of colors and other similar elements to enhance itself. 

 The most notable aspect of the film remains its background score that strives to fill the lacuna left behind by the lack of conversations between the characters. The final result endeavors to define itself within the peripheries of a silent film, perhaps also explaining the aforementioned absence of verbal exchanges, which may sometimes appear a little incompatible with the rest of the narrative.

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