The documentary has a difficult premise - the nexus of art and war. However it achieves the most brilliant execution for it because what is war if not simply a dance between soldiers and civilians (as the film itself goes ahead to portray in one of its sequences). Exit 12 is about a dance company of the same name founded and now run by people most intricately connected with different wars the US has been part of over the last few decades. From Vietnam to Iraq to Afghanistan, there is a glimpse into what they did to those who either fought in them at the front or participated as family members and loved ones of those who were in the line of fire. The dance sequences are weaved most effortlessly into the narrative. Other than being a display of exceptional skill and seamless visuals, they further succeed in delivering their bit of the story most poignantly. Using these, the film follows the experiences of three characters and how they use dance to make sense of their post-war reality. At the heart of the narrative is a moving question - when you are trained to kill, how do you come back and embrace your reality as a human? How does one reconcile the horrors of war with their day-to-day existence? Consequently, without spelling anything out explicitly, the film becomes an engagement with the post traumatic stress disorders veterans grapple with. Mental health and the desire to end one's own life find echoes for the viewer that are loud and clear. However, despite it all, there is a sense of hope and empowerment which is invoked at the idea of people coming together as a collective to share their experiences in an attempt to successfully assuage their pain. It is this idea of hope which finally ties the film together in a cohesive and comprehensive way allowing the intense emotional experience to be moving in a constructive manner.

Exit 12 | Short Film of the Day

‘Prazinburk Ridge’ brings to life a poignant true story from the First World War, and does so with tools that completely eschew sentimentalism, a characteristic that often weighs down stories dealing with similar subjects and themes. On the contrary, it presents a sophisticated, moving narrative about the courage of Douglas Clark, a celebrated English football player who was enlisted in the national armed forces during the War. 

Intrinsic to the narrative are ideas of resilience and bravery, even in the face of mortal peril. However, what works most beautifully when it comes to the narratorial progression, ensuring each of these emotions and sentiments is allowed the attention it deserves, is the animated treatment by the one-man crew of the film. 

An Impressionistic visual style of dynamic boundaries, devoid of harsh, fixed lines, portrays the film’s reality for us. Despite the grimness of the subject, the loud riot of colors before you keeps your attention engaged throughout. The filmmaker’s intentions are painted using a 3D graphics tool, Unreal Engine, further exhibiting a true triumph for animation storytelling, while also ensuring that this particular narrative that hyper-localizes itself to a single moment during the First World War, stays with you long after you are done interacting with it.

Prazinburk Ridge | Short Film of the Day

The film paints a reality that straddles darkness and humor with notable ease. It presents a conversation between two dead soldiers of the American Revolution, trying to figure out their presence in an in-between field before they move on to their eventual destination. While James continues to persistently look for his hat, Edmund is quick to run out of patience with him. 

A la Didi and Gogo, the two continue their banter/bickering in a limbo-esque field between life and death, with the hat serving as a potential metaphor for a quest for something seemingly meaningless for one, but extremely precious for another, much like the many battles of life itself. 

The pacing of the narrative sometimes sags a little, but the performances and writing help to pull it back into place. A tighter control on future projects would enhance the storytelling further. Nevertheless, the two performances strike the right notes with their chemistry and verbal exchange, and the end result becomes a comedy with a heart and soul. In the process, it manages to seamlessly achieve meaning within the universe of the film.

Deadcoats | Short Film of the Day

The brief narrative of the film invokes a dark reality, one defined by war sirens and imminent, destructive raids. However the world thus conjured has a noble cause at its heart, the message of hope. 


The narrative aims to remind the viewer of the invincibility of hope, and the undeniable light at the end of the tunnel. The protagonist is a woman who battles overwhelming mental and emotional demons. She is plagued by memories of violence, as the film endeavors to paint the lived reality of the innumerable Ukrainians who are dealing with the ravages of the war that has torn their homeland asunder. 

The film is presented as part of an initiative by the National Psychological Association, backed by the United Nations Development Programme, the European Union, and the governments of Denmark and Canada, to provide free mental health assistance to Ukrainians all over the world. The resultant film is a sincere, heartfelt endeavor, that conveys its intentions with lucidity and manages to present a realm of loss, heartache, loneliness, and the memory of what once was or could have been.

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