Just a few days after I got my WordPress 8 Year Anniversary notification, I logged onto the internet and bought my first ticket for Sundance. Of course, even 8 years of blogging is not enough to get press access to the festival, nor am I prepared to spend the hundreds of dollars required to attend the festival in person. I am, however, able to watch the short films online for a mere $25. After watching several Chicago filmmaker’s short films earlier this month, I was excited to expand my short Film knowledge with even more incredible works.
Over the next few days, I will be publishing mini-reviews of the short films that I watch from the festival, starting with today’s lineup, which can be found listed under “short film program #5”. Why I started with #5 is confusing even to me, but alas I did and so those are the reviews you will get first.
Voice Ever
Filmmaker: Pauline Archange and Céline Perréard
Find the Film: Letterboxd
This was the very first Sundance film I watched, and it was a great choice to start out with. “Voice Ever” is a new dating app where people communicate only through their voice. People connect, disconnect, and change themselves to become the person they most want to be. Three characters in particular are shown at various stages of their dating journey. None of them are secure in who they are, even if it seems like it at first. It’s deeply sad and deeply hopeful all at the same time, which is the perfect way to feel at the end of a short film.
Ekbeh
Filmmaker: Mariah Eli Hernandez-Fitch
Find the Film: Letterboxd
This was a truly beautiful story meant to preserve the Uma Native American culture forever. The filmmaker interviewed her relatives as they made gumbo, combining the act of cooking with the act of learning and teaching, which is what Ekbeh really means. This film was beautifully shot and it did a great job of capturing a small bit of Louisiana Native culture in a personal and meaningful way.
Shalal
Filmmaker: Amir Ali Sisipour
Find the Film: Letterboxd
This was my least favorite film in today’s grouping, but perhaps that’s because a large portion of it made me physically nauseous. This is not the film for people with a weak stomach! It’s not that it was physically gruesome to look at, it was just strongly implied. A mother and son duo manipulate shadows and people, and I can’t really say much more than that due to my confusion and potential spoilers. That being said, the black and white cinematography and the quiet yet violent way the main actors moved about was incredibly impactful. This was an artsy, metaphorical film meant for the artsy and metaphorical among us.
The Looming Cloud
Filmmaker: Matthew Perry
Find the Film: Letterboxd
My first 2024 release of the year! The Looming Cloud is a look at three siblings when they return to their childhood home after the death of their mom. Two of them have social media followings and are concerned about how to best commemorate her memory online. The brother, on the other hand, is angry at what he perceives as them not caring. It did a fantastic job of capturing not only sibling dynamics, but the pitfalls of our social media addicted culture.
Bay of Herons
Filmmaker: Jared James Lank
Find the Movie: Letterboxd
I would like to second all of the people who complained about the subtitles being far too small! The movie relies on text across the bottom of the screen, and I had to squint to read it despite having decent eyesight. That being said, the story told in the subtitles was powerful and pulled me right in, and the video shots to accompany it were gorgeous. This was an incredibly slow film all about building tension, but it worked for me.
Grace
Filmmaker: Natalie Jasmine Harris
Find the Movie: Letterboxd
Ugh, this movie was devastating! Grace is a 1950s piece about a young girl who is in love with her friend. They’ve kissed, and the feelings are clearly mutual, but when Grace is asked to repent during her baptism, she begins to question everything. I loved how this film was made and the nearly universal experience of queer angst it captured.
Basri & Salma in a Never-Ending Comedy
Filmmaker: Khozy Rizal
Find the Movie: Letterboxd
This was such a perfect way to end this film watching session! This raunchy short takes place primarily at a chaotic family meal, where fights break out and people get far too personal, as only family could do. The discordance between the love the main couple clearly shares for each other and the violence the larger family inflicts on one another is powerful.
