Film Festival Reviews 02
PLUS: BAVO DEFURNE | 11'09"01 | SHORTS 2003
On this page - LFF SHORTS: DOMESTIC | MOSQUITO NIGHT |
MY WRONGS | NEW YEAR'S EVE | A SOCIAL CALL | VIRUS Back to the SHADOWS FILM FEST page last update 19.Nov.02
LFF SHORT FILMS
Any chance to see short films on a big screen should be siezed upon!
REVIEWS BY RICH CLINE
DOMESTICdir-scr Suzi Ewing; with Rupert Proctor, Steve Huisen, Elizabeth Berrington 02/UK 12m
Entertaining mini-drama about a guy in a business suit who breaks into a couple's house and cleans it all day - then gets caught when they come home early. Very well filmed with wit and style, both funny and edgy at the same time. And a nice punchline at the end. 19.Nov.02 lff
MOSQUITO NIGHT
dir-scr Blagovest Srebrenov; with Blagovest Srebrenov 02/Austria 8m
There's nice lullaby music as our hero snuggles in for the night, but the incessant buzz of a mosquito in his room won't let him fall asleep. Soon it's driven him completely mad. But this mosquito isn't what he thinks it is - and the planet's survival may depend on what he does next. Silent, witty and very cleverly shot, with sublimely goofy effects at the end. 18.Nov.02 lffMY WRONGS 8245-8249 AND 117
dir-scr Chris Morris; with Paddy Considine 02/UK 10m
Begins with a housesitter (Considine) exchanging glances with the dog he's also taking care of, then gets very funny indeed as these two pay off each other. Crosses a line into creepy absurdity when he starts imagining that the dog is his lawyer and hears it talking to him, which gets him into more and more trouble, until he's completely off his rocker. Stylish and very funny, this outrageous short catches you off guard and keeps you laughing. 15.Nov.02 lff
THE MUSICAL CHAIRSdir-scr Marc Tobias Winterhagen; with E Srimvassan, David Shimden, Kim Keller, G Nirhiya 02/India 7m
Surreal and abstract short, shot in India by a German filmmaker, examining violence and abuse toward children. It's a single take with a sinister clown playing a grammophone in the foreground, a group of kids in the background, and several moments of unsettling horror. Beautifully shot and very artistic, but hard to understand what it's driving at. Worth noting that the name of the game (and the film) in German is 'The Road to Jerusalem.' 18.Nov.02 lff
NEW YEARS EVEdir-scr Colin Spector; with Stephen Mangan, Keira Knightley, Amit Lahav, Philip Herbert, Bohdan Poraj 02/UK 16m
This extremely well-produced short looks like a feature, complete with a large cast of (vaguely) recognisable faces and one big star (Knightley). It's about a New Year's party invaded by a guy with no social skills at all - he even invites his taxi driver to join the party. Then he starts chatting up a 15-year-old, who isn't exactly innocent. Intriguing examination of mingling, strained friendships and social misfits - very British! Funny and honest, and yet it doesn't go anywhere, really. 18.Nov.02 lff
A SOCIAL CALL
dir-scr Jonathan Romney 02/UK 7m
This black comedy short is about a hit man who goes to a remote cottage and shoots its occupant, then just can't resist the urge to make a cup of tea. Big mistake. And other problems soon follow, escalating to a couple of little twists at the end. Sadly, the central idea just isn't funny at all - there are so many logistical errors in what happens (such as the whole issue of fingerprints) that it never makes sense on any level. It's like we're never allowed to in on the "fun". So it feels pretty pointless, really. 13.Nov.02 lff
VIRUSdir-scr Simon Hynd; with Lee Scott, Erin Weber, Margot Taylor, John Henderson 02/UK 6m
Slick, dark and wickedly creepy, this mini cyber-thriller is completely silent and centres on a late-night office worker who gets a suspicious email that leads to sinister results. Very cleverly assembled with an eye for the telling little detail, the filmmaker even crams in a few red herrings! And when he clicks 'Send' at the end, it sends shivers down our spines. 18.Nov.02 lff
PLUS: BAVO DEFURNE | 11'09"01 | SHORTS 2003
