Cinema City International Film Festival
Short Film Reviews By: Kim Jindra
There were a lot of short films screening at CCIFF this year. Unfortunately we were only able to cover day one of this three day festival. Kim said this was one of her favorite groups of short films she has ever seen at a festival. Every one of them were fantastic!
DETACHMENT, written and directed by Robert E. Moore, kicked off the festival and brought me to tears. It is the story of a hispanic marine father who returns on a short leave from the Iraq war. He has trouble reconnecting with his old life but especially his son. I was not sure whether the soldier/father wanted to wall himself off so he could lessen the pain of a second separation or if his experiences had truly deadened him inside. The relationship between father/son for the most part felt real, although I'm not sure someone so young would use profanity towards a father who was a soldier. I would have thought he would be a bit less likely to provoke his father especially since he was an 'unknown quantity'. But the story is timely. I recently saw my nephew, a newly returned marine, at a family reunion, and I saw similar behavior. He just didn't know quite how to fit in. I worked hard to draw him out. Maybe that's why this film resonated so much but I don't think so. This story carefully reminds us not to forget the sacrifices of people left behind.
Rogue 379 is the story of a CIA agent done wrong. In Q& A, director Doug Choi admitted he was heavily influenced by spy movies, the X-FILES and 24. The script moves at an excellent pace. The score by Kevin Riepl is wonderful, My main quibble with the plot is thinking a lover/intern to a CEO /arms dealer would be a target of the CIA. But the film was entertaining and it had a satisfying outcome.
DECEPTION is a five minute piece of intrigue. Two housekeepers
find themselves at the mercy of their employer's plot to kill her husband. The story is complete but I wanted more. It is a good calling card for a full length version. The tension between villain and victims was palpable. A perfect little piece of film noir.
TIME AND CHANCE opens with two fruit flies on a pile of dung discussing life's meaning. The animation is quite good. The fly that wants to "make a difference" ends up causing a chain of events that make up the rest of the film. We see how events converge from all the different angles. The backward structure of the story reminded me of PULP FICTION. The flies were great.
FINDING GRACE is the story of a man unaccustomed to love adjusting to a woman who loves him unconditionally. It moved painfully slow and the plot twists were heavily foreshadowed. There is just way too much voice over for my taste. It could have used another trip to the editing room.
It is easy to understand why THE MIRACLE, by Jeffrey Jon Smith has played at more than 40 film festivals. It is the story of Tekki Lomnicki, who also stars in the film and her chance at redemption. Even though, Tekki is a little person with the courage of a lion and a lot of heart. Tekki is the movie but I also admired the film's palette and the song and dance number. Much like life, it is both funny and sad. It made me think about my own family's relationships and secrets.
STARGAZER looks at a man completely alone in space with no chance of survival. We watch him go through anger and denial before he comes to terms with his death. The visuals are quite good. Director Jacque Siler told a big story with a $1000 budget. A very impressive feat.
NOTA Di AMORE was beautiful to look at and a delight to watch. The story centers around a young man who falls in love with a girl in a photograph that hangs on the barbershop wall. He goes to the barbershop every day for a shave and to leave messages. His persistence is sweet and endearing. The innocence of the character is one big warm fuzzy. See this for a reaffirmation of romance. It is a great date or Valentine's Day movie.
In LOVE LETTER, written and directed by Craig Thieman, Garret has been dumped by his girlfirend and is not taking it well. A big part of the action revolves around Garrett struggling to compose the perfect suicide note. In one particularly funny bit he gets some inspiration from an internet "how to" video for noose construction. Garret is an empathetic character which makes the final twist a bit surprising.
SHY tells the story of two young men struggling with isolation. A chance encounter at a convenience store is refreshingly funny. The ensuing encounter gives us hope that by joining forces they can find the strength to overcome their personal demons. The colors April Rouveyrol uses in her directorial debut enhance the richness of the film. She definitely has a good eye.