Lately I haven’t found the time to write too much about full-length films. But in order to get back on track with writing, I have been watching some pretty great short films! Here are two short reviews on two short films.

Aftermath (2014)
Tofic Rzayev, 8 minutes

A short film about grief and loss and the aftermath of a family death, Tofic Rzayev’s Aftermath is a moment in the life of two siblings as they confront the differing ways that they deal with and understand death. It’s a simple story, and the film begins as the two are undertaking different activities, one making breakfast and up and about, and the other stuck in bed. This difference is a subtle way of telling us about the characters in this short space of time. What I loved about this short film the most was its direction; shots focused on the faces and reactions of the two characters as they discuss a difficult topic, and a beautiful long shot at the end as the credits faded in. The muted colours used are also very beautiful and sombre. However, even though I don’t understand Turkish, you almost get the feeling as if the actors are not perfect fits for this complex topic, and something about the ending did not seem entirely believable. Films about grief can be difficult to pull off without melodrama, and luckily this film does not succumb to that. It’s highly emotive and it confronts its topic fearlessly. Well worth a watch.

3.5/5
Watch the short film here.

All Your Favourite Shows (2015)
Danny Madden, 5 minutes

Wow. This short film is extremely full on, using rapid clips from over 160 movies to tell its story; that of a young boy whose obsession with his phone and watching his favourite shows creates chaos as those shows begin to intrude on his life. The clips from so many different types of films are used in rapid succession in conjunction with the watercolour animation of our protagonist and his world. This is such an imaginative short film and the story really does succeed beyond the novelty of the movie clips, with its fairly chilling conclusion. Really, the only negative thing I can find about this is that the flashing images can be a bit tiring on the eyes and difficult to take in. But at the same time, this dizzying effect is a testament to the amazing editing on display. See this post haste!

4.5/5
Watch the short film here.