42nd Annual Thomas Edison Film Festival Tour 2023 - SCAD

My Uneasy Relationship with Short Films

Yesterday, I trekked down Broughton Street, in Savannah, Georgia, to the Trustees Theater to watch a series of films I had no interest in seeing. This statement may be shocking for those familiar with my passion for all things cinema, but the explanation is quite simple; short films are bad. Until yesterday, I was unsure of this, but after spending all two hours of my makeup class that morning consuming these movies, I was confident this was true. To be completely forthcoming, I have always had an uneasy relationship with short films. I rarely enjoy them, and they tend to feel rushed and unoriginal to me. So, going into last night's event (which my roommate forced me to attend), I was anything but excited. I was burnt out from that morning and was already tired, so the films at last night's event were working at a severe disadvantage.

The night began with the short film Chicken by Lucy McNulty and Emma Pollard. This film tells the story of an angry and depressed young woman named Sam (McNulty) who, after a breakup, moves back in with her mother and neurodivergent brother, Emmett (Aaron Waddingham). Now, this film did not start the evening off strong for me at all. The premise is fine enough for a short film, but the execution really missed for me. The characterization of Sam at the beginning was horrendous. She is terribly rude to everyone for no reason. I get that the woman is sad and upset, but her anger is incredibly misguided. No sane individual would act with such ferocity over a single breakup. Sad, sure. Lashing out at your brother with his girlfriend in the car, no. Her terribleness is the inciting incident that sends her along her arc, but it is really hard to root for someone who starts off being purely cruel. The performances from both principal actors are honestly not that bad, but the characterization and arc as a whole feel rushed and messy. There is a dancing chicken though, so honestly, just ignore all of the criticism I have levied against this film, 10/10. The second opening film was also a weak opener, but this time it was animated. The film was a 3-minute short called Crumbs! by Luke and Amara Jaeger (I am unsure of any relation) and depicts what happens to your toast when you pop those slices of bread into that toaster. Now, as a start, this is interesting. There are a lot of stylistic and narrative possibilities within this concept, but the execution here is rough (I am trying to be polite). The animation of the world outside the toaster was fairly interesting and unique, but the minute we hop inside that toaster, things get messy. There is a childlike style that is being attempted here, but the way it is executed just makes it appear childish. The toast moves stiffly, and the chaos of the nightclub is just incomprehensible. Ultimately, this one really let me down. I was hoping for a unique and fun experiment but instead received a jumbled and slapdash mess. These first two films left a sour taste in my mouth. I did not come into this experience with very high expectations, and these films only furthered this highly negative stance.

The third short of the night was a documentary by Cameron Thuman called Dreaming of a Better Place. This film, in retrospect, was not that bad. At the time, I was more upset at it, but now I am more neutral on it. It tells the story of the Gostlin family and their skiing legacy up in the mountains of British Columbia. It is a fairly standard documentary short about a family and their unique lifestyle. Some of the skiing shots in the film were impressive, but I thought the rapid and hyperkinetic editing style took a lot away from that portion of the experience, at least for me. Otherwise, there is very little to say about this short. It was ok.

Then, the fourth presentation of the night was the moment my thoughts on the experience began to change. Before this picture started, I was about ready to call it quits, but this short caught my attention. City of Ghosts by Christian Elliot and Elle Ginter tells the story of Rosen (Martin Hristov) and Uri (Evan Holovatskyi). These men travel from their home countries of Ukraine and Bulgaria to work as laborers in Greece. There, their passports are stolen and they are brutalized as modern-day slaves. This short was based on a true story, and the subject matter moved me. This narrative is incredibly relevant to modern audiences and tells a story about struggles that persist worldwide. These types of forced labor situations happen every day, even in the US where immigrants are forced to work under terrible conditions with no real freedom. The story also briefly references the Ukrainian War, but the introduction of this idea has some interesting potential that ultimately is not ever realized. Now, this relationship between the two protagonists almost works. I say almost because they have an argument around the film's climax that comes out of nowhere. The conflict is not built up to, nor does it feel convincing. It honestly really shocked me, because up until that point, I was really enjoying my experience with this film. Luckily, it was able to salvage its ending, but that little thing did spoil what was otherwise a compelling experience. This short brought me back, but the one that followed almost made me run away. Manzanar (Yuki) was an animated short about a young girl's experience in an internment camp during WWII. I should quickly clarify before someone assumes the worst of me, my grievances with this film do not have anything to do with the subject matter. Exploring and educating people about Japanese internment camps during WWII is incredibly important. I have been lucky to have great teachers during my childhood who educated me on this terrible chapter in American history, and everyone should have the same experience. However, how this film chooses to explore this very serious and sad subject is honestly laughable. Over the animation, there is no score, there is no voice-over. Instead, the filmmakers decided to make a TERRIBLE song and play it over the entirety of the picture. I cannot put into words how awful this song was. The lyrics were just the narrative of the story and had no musicality to their construction. The song truly detracts from what would otherwise be a beautiful and touching short film about an important subject matter. I just mentioned the art style because it is truly impressive. It has a beautiful and authentic design to it that, when coupled with the historic images, would make for a moving film if not for the man poorly busking over the top of it. There is also a CGI crane at the end of the film that I did not care for, but by that point, the song had already done more damage than that piece of origami ever could.

The next piece in this festival's lineup was experimental, and let me tell you, when I saw that word in the program, I was hooked. I was ready for whatever this film was going to be. Lucky for me, it was certainly experimental. Giroscopio by John Muse and Bryn Mawr is a short created by two artists living in different parts of the world during the pandemic. It focused on using the gyroscope technique and recording a variety of objects. This film was strange, impressive, and new. It was cool; I will likely never watch it again, but it was certainly fascinating if nothing else. The film Hold the Lighthouse (Tenir le phare) by Thomas Soto followed Giroscopio and began a turning point in the program. Hold the Lighthouse was a beautifully shot story about an old man (Jacques L'Heureux) and his grandson (Edouard B. Larocque) as they grieve the loss of their wife/grandmother. This film was sweet, well-paced, and relatable. It does not try to get too complex, but that is good. It understands its medium and makes the most of it. Hold the Lighthouse was incredibly well made, and was the first in a string of particularly strong short films at the event.

After the wonderful Hold the Lighthouse, we were treated to an incredible animated short about mothers and daughters. Now I'm in the Kitchen was a short created and narrated by Yana Pan in which she discusses the relationship between her mother, her, and food. The animation style here is better than anything I have seen in recent memory. The style feels so genuine and specific to the story being told, and it helps elevate Pan's voice-over. I would explain more, but this short is one that you should experience yourself if you get the opportunity. In stark contrast to this gorgeous and touching animated film, there came a tragic documentary about dead birds. When Worlds Collide by Patricia Seaton showcases the organization FLAP as they work to bring awareness to the over 1.3 billion bird deaths caused by window collisions. This short is gruesome and hard to watch, but that is the whole point. FLAP showcases these dead birds to raise awareness by making people visualize this tragedy, and the film is doing the same. Some may be unable to watch it, and those who are easily saddened or disgusted by animal death should avoid this one. That said, the overall doc does succeed at educating and inspiring its audience.

The second to last film during this showcase was another experimental picture, but this one was a lot more digestible than Giroscopio. Intersextion by Richard Roger Reeves is a film of abstract imagery moving on a screen. The art, which was done on 35mm film, is absolutely enchanting. The imagery reminded me of some David Lynch surrealism, but overall the piece felt like a living abstract painting. The visuals here are genuinely unique and pull you into a world of colors and energy.

By this point in the night, I was feeling much better. A lot of the movies I had been able to see by this point exhibited personality and artistic vision, but I had not even seen the very best that this festival had to offer. The festival saved its best for last, and my roommate and I were left completely stunned. The Boy Who Couldn't Feel Pain, by Eugen Merher, was a truly incredible short film I loved. The movie's shot composition and ratio are exquisite and scratched the same area of my film-loving brain that a Wes Anderson and Coen Brothers' lovechild would. The story is touching and delves into themes of trauma and emotional vulnerability in an entertaining yet moving way. The Western and arthouse influences are strong, but they come together seamlessly. The world created feels ever so slightly surreal, and I cannot tell if this is by design or if it has to do with the filmmaker being from Germany. Either way, the hyper-realized New Mexico is a perfect place to set this deeply psychological narrative. Characters feel well-developed, and no actor fails to bring their character to life. Catfish Jean deserves a special shoutout for his performance as the boy himself, Chester. He is straight and stoic, but despite this character trait, Jean, through masterful line delivery and mannerisms, is able to bring emotion and humanity to what would otherwise be a composed character. Overall, this is one of the first short films that has ever appeared so flawless and forced me to confront my previous short film-related biases.

On the long walk back to my dorm, I reflected on my relationship with short films. Before that night, I was confident that the format was too limiting. I had decided that trying to tell any narrative in such a short amount of time led to underdeveloped characters and rushed narratives. Yet, the final film of the night, The Boy Who Couldn't Feel Pain, showed me that you could make a solid work of art that feels well-rounded and layered within a short period of time if you are only able to master the time factor and use it to your advantage. As I sit here now, a good 24+ hours later, I have to admit that short films are not bad. The majority range from disappointing to mediocre, but so do feature films. Shorts have the potential to tell unique stories and allow filmmakers to practice their craft. Incredible short films exist, and when you finally discover one, you feel like you have discovered a nugget of pure gold. Ecstatic! A handful of these later short films were nuggets for me, so keep your eyes peeled for them online, and do not miss your chance to see some special works of art. And hey, it will only take up to 10 minutes of your life, so no harm done.

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