2nd International Festival of Short Films
There is a dark collective consciousness that seems to permeate the "2nd International Festival of Short Films," a brooding sense of foreboding, if not outright doom, that runs through even the lighter fare.Whether that represents the cynicism of a new generation of filmmakers or simply the attitudes of those who spearheaded this collection is hard to say (some of the shorts have copyright dates that are several years old). But one thing is sure — you could hardly ask for a more eclectic mix than is offered here.
The dark tone is set with the first film, "Out of Town," an English production about a hapless hitchhiker who gets his foot stuck in a hole while walking along a country road. When no one will stop to help him, and as it gets later and darker, he begins to fear he may starve to death. From there, things get steadily worse, as he is robbed by passers-by and eventually attacked by something underground. This one is an interesting parable, though marred somewhat by its ambiguity.
From there we go to "The Dark Slide of a Trombone," an amusing Belgian effort about status-seeking, as members of a trombone band for the court of a fictional 17th-century country practice one-upmanship.
The four-minute New Zealand comedy "Snail's Pace" is a time-lapse look at a snail that attempts to cross the road to get at some lettuce.
"The Room," which played at the Sundance Film festival in January, has a young New York City boy escaping from his abusive father in a unique way.
The longest film here, at 22 minutes, is "The Bet," about two brothers who operate a family deli in Brooklyn. One has a gambling problem but promises himself he'll quit if he can just make one last big score. Well-drawn characters and a tragic sense of irony make this one perhaps the best of the bunch.
William S. Burroughs reading his poem "Thanksgiving Prayer," which is set to superimposed visuals choreographed by Gus Van Sant ("Even Cowgirls Get the Blues," "My Own Private Idaho"), was another short shown at the Sundance festival.
"Uhloz" is a dark French fantasy about two young children who use "toy" rockets to get revenge on their parents.
And "The Kiss" is a French black-and-white documentary of sorts, with a variety of couples who simply stand before the camera and then briefly kiss.
The closing piece, a lighthearted picture called "Work Experience," is a British comedy starring Lenny Henry (best known in this country for his American film "True Identity"). This is one of the best in the collection, a very funny low-key satire as Henry inadvertently finds himself working in a department store, then gets on the fast-track to a management position — though he hasn't actually been hired.
As is usual with collections like this, it's a hit-and-miss affair, but there are certainly enough hits to make it worthwhile — especially if you're looking for something different.
Though unrated, the "2nd International Festival of Short Films" would probably get an R for language in "The Bet" and violence in a couple of efforts.