February - 2019

REVIEWS

Feb 28, 2019

SHORT FOCUS 2018: Somehow [Misa Nishihara, Japan, 2018] /// The Noise of the Light [Valentin Petit,

This sense of transpersonal intimacy creates a quieter, gentler expression of sexuality that is a breath of fresh air from the glut of screa

My Friend Victor [Kamil Iwanowicz, UK, 2018]

John Pickering

Feb 26, 2019

My Friend Victor [Kamil Iwanowicz, UK, 2018]

Firstly, some quick advice: if you're thinking of treating yourself to a cheeky fry-up after this short film, think again! Kamil Iwanowicz definitely pulls the wool over our eyes with his fifth short film, and easily proves that a small cast can either make or break a short fable such as this. With a very simple poster and unassuming tag line, the filmmaker keeps all the tricks he can up his sleeve or, in this case as we later find out, up… somewhere else! We first encounter

Jim Rogers

Feb 25, 2019

Pets [David Wunderlich, Germany, 2018]

This intriguing and, perhaps to some, bleak science-fiction short film opens up in a near future. The title refers to the human condition as it stands in this imagined future, where we are no longer governors of our own thought processes, choices and, most importantly, our own emotional constructions. We, of course, already live in a world where technology plays a major part in assisting us in our everyday lives, but it could be argued that we have grown so dependent on its u

Beard Envy [John Tomkins, UK, 2018] /// Genesis [Michael Tekle, Germany, 2018]

Tom Kent

Feb 25, 2019

Beard Envy [John Tomkins, UK, 2018] /// Genesis [Michael Tekle, Germany, 2018]

How does one even attempt to view something like Beard Envy in a critical and analytical manner? How does one search for flaw or merit in a film that begins with a growling pirate menacing a young man in a museum? Beard Envy is a short film by director John Tomkins based on a poem by spoken word artist Robert Garnham. It’s worth a moment of pause to acknowledge this began as a poem of all things. Human endeavour truly knows no bounds. The film tells of a young man’s quest to

Masha and Dasha: Two Hearts in One [Diana Taylor, UK, 2018] /// Icons [Ronnie Cramer, USA, 2018]

Charlie Greep

Feb 25, 2019

Masha and Dasha: Two Hearts in One [Diana Taylor, UK, 2018] /// Icons [Ronnie Cramer, USA, 2018]

This touching and fascinating documentary examines the lives of Masha and Dasha Krivoshlyapova, a pair of conjoined twins growing up during the height of the Soviet Union. The film’s structure, which is based on an interview with British journalist Juliet Butler, a friend of the twins, interspersed with evocative black and white footage and photographs from Masha and Dasha’s lives, is a simple yet effective way of telling this story. A recurring element of said story is the c

Tom Kent

Feb 20, 2019

Harp [Staffan Gnosspelius, UK, 2018]

It seems wrong to recommend Harp to anyone without advising them see it without any expectations, as I was fortunate enough to do. However, if there is anything to be said about this short, it is that it’s a visual experience unlike any other and a truly original piece of animation. Harp is an animated music video created by Staffan Gnosspelius on a single piece of paper wherein the artist animates through a series of changes. The talent alone that’s required to execute such

A Peculiar Imagination [Jamie H. Scrutton, UK, 2018]

Jim Rogers

Feb 19, 2019

A Peculiar Imagination [Jamie H. Scrutton, UK, 2018]

This intriguing animated short deals with themes familiar to us all, from birth to death and everything in between, situating the audience within the artist’s (Jamie H. Scrutton) considerations of his own mortality. The film thematically weaves us through his psyche and fantastical perception of the values of love and the aspects of re-birth and their impact, before we reach the inevitable final moment in our lives, demonstrated by using clever visual cues and motifs within a

Caducea – The Man with the Bark Face [Christophe Mavroudis, Belgium, 2018]

Tyler Jeffries

Feb 18, 2019

Caducea – The Man with the Bark Face [Christophe Mavroudis, Belgium, 2018]

Writer and director Christophe Mavroudis orchestrates a visually compelling and enticing story, illustrating pure excellence in respect to filmmaking and storytelling aspects in his film Caducea – The Man with the Bark Face. The short film manages to grip the audience with an interesting story from the very first frame; effectively introducing us using well-balanced expository narration through very distinguished, stylish images, foreshadowing the relationship between the mai

John Pickering

Feb 16, 2019

Scarecrow [Lee Charlish, UK, 2018]

Sometimes, we find ourselves shaking, screaming, at that film on our screens, baffled how these characters are making those same mistakes that every single character makes in a horror movie, especially when a line such as this is thrown out there - has neither Natalie nor Thomas, our main protagonists in the film, ever seen any kind horror film where people ask for directions? In saying that, if it wasn't for our characters' ignorance, we would not have these wonderfully ente

Expecting [Stacey Menchel Kussel, USA, 2018]

Jasdip Sensi

Feb 16, 2019

Expecting [Stacey Menchel Kussel, USA, 2018]

Expecting is an artful and revealing dance documentary that charts summarily the career of ballerina Michele Wiles (former principal dancer of the American Ballet Theatre) and her steps into motherhood, after consistently being told that ballerinas and pregnancy do not fit in the same context. Wiles is a top athlete and artist in her field, but like any other woman she faces the exhilaration and anxiety that comes along with the milestone of starting a family. Directed by Sta