‘Gomorrah’ invokes the Biblical city of sin in its title which serves as a fitting metaphor for the reality unfolding before us. We are presented with a space of debauchery and excesses of all kinds where everyone, but more so the protagonist, is eternally damned and tied to this dismal fate. 

The first-person narrative paints for the viewer a world of substance abuse where all that matters is the next hit, and its potency to drown everything else that once was right until that moment. As the Virgil-esque protagonist, Francis Dykes, leads the viewer into this particular Hell, he is also allowed a moment of intimacy and affection, fleeting as it might be, amidst the despair. 

Gorgeous cinematography, lovely background score, and top-drawer performances put together the film for the viewer. The writing invokes a very brutal, visceral realm located inside a metaphorical heap of rubbish, to borrow an analogy from Francis’ monologue. It does an adept job of portraying the desire to disappear, the self-hate, dread of existence, alongside an unabashed, fierce look into the world of addiction.

Gomorrah | Short Film of the Day

Mental health has made significant inroads into our cinema and art, and this film goes ahead to prove the same. Potentially triggering for those who battle mental health issues on a regular basis, the film is a literal and metaphorical representation of a man's struggle to grapple with his own internal demons. As the protagonist tries to take transitory comfort in substance abuse and drown the voices in his head in alcohol, the film holds the potential of being relatable for several viewers in the same age group as him. The strongest aspects of Lost in Oblivion are definitely it's performance and camerawork, both working arduously to make the story work. Succeeding at it, the various elements of the narrative come together to invoke an urgent concern - the absolute need to acknowledge and address the mental health concerns of a huge part of contemporary society.

Lost in Oblivion | Short Film of the Day

The film is a heartfelt conversation between a mother and her unborn child, one that she lost. As the visuals reimagine an existence of what-could-have-been, the viewer is taken into a world of substance abuse. Along with drawing attention to a severe problem that plagues society, the film also invokes an emotional reality. It is marred by a decision gone wrong, the manner in which it affected not just the woman, but also a life that was inevitably linked with hers, and the consequent crushing burden of guilt. The protagonist's battle with the trauma and grief is allowed portrayal on screen, until the eventual caving in to the weight she has been carrying all along. The film does a notable job of using color and filters to bring to life just the right atmosphere and ambience for the world it has intended to present to the viewer. It is a product marked by vision and a strong attempt at realizing and executing it, especially by way of beautiful visuals.

Seabreeze | Short Film Nominee

Trigger warning: self-harm 

‘Flash/Crash’ is an intimate exploration of trauma, loss and the grief that gets left behind in its wake. All of these complex emotional states are tied with substance abuse and addiction, to paint a world that is initially marked by dreariness. 

The film thus maps a trajectory from the bleakness of despair to perhaps what could be an eventual attainment of hope and a new lease of life. Whether or not the protagonist is capable of achieving it becomes one of the core concerns of the plot, with the answer being pronounced alongside the film’s message at the conclusion. 

The tight, hand-held shots enable the narrative to present a heartfelt portrayal of the intimacy invoked at the start while giving the viewer a hard, long look at the realities of primarily two characters. Both performances are defined by skill, in the process, ensuring that the film achieves completion in a lucid, seamless manner.

Flash/Crash | Short Film Nominee

‘Adderall Cowboy’ paints a world with a predominance of pink, and linked colors, in the palette. As a space of luxury and softness comes to mind, the reality it represents is far from that. 

A charming protagonist introduces us to her professional endeavors, the business of peddling drugs to teenagers. She likes to indulge herself in long baths and self-care routines, all along funding her preferences with money earned from enabling young, impressionable minds into getting consumed by substance abuse. 

The film is especially notable in the leanness it employs for sharing all this. Its elements are few, but completely sufficient for fulfilling the job of critiquing a crumbling society. A single character within the walls of a single room help this reality unfold, ensuring that the ideas are presented with a sustained approach of frugality - of dialogue, characters and the physical space conjured before you.

Adderall Cowboy | Short Film of the Day

The first sentiment that defines the tonality of the film is bleakness, one that remains consistently pervasive throughout. As the narrative moves between Bobby and Dean, slowly roping in more characters, a world of substance abuse, squalid acts of petty crime, potential violence, all along positioned next to a family's battle against chronic illnesses, comes into existence. 
One of them, the ailing mother of the two brothers, says at one point, "Money can't fix this", almost tempting the viewer to believe the words. However, inherent to the statement is the loud and resounding question of what if - what if it could and would have in a parallel world? 

Consequently, it is the unsaid things in the film, the silences, that say more than the verbal exchanges that unfold before you. There is also a sincere attempt to suffuse the plot with poignancy fitting of the thematic concerns. The short, albeit held back with a little rawness, eventually becomes a relevant story of familial love, loss, and the tragedy of a forgotten few in a world that forever continues to march to its own beat.

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