NYC SHORTS FEST PART 1

Reviews By: Stacie Perlman

SENAS PARTICULARES (Distinguishing Features)

 Foreign | 11:35 | Mexico | 2007   (NYC premiere)
Director: Kenya Márquez
Synopsis: Ramona loses her tranquility when her son Osvaldo disappears.
                She begins a search that leads her to the coroner's office and to
                accept the possibility that her son has died.

 This was the quietest film of the fest for me. Simple moments were given heft and weight, not only by the circumstances surrounding them, but the filmmaker's editing and sound choices. The film had a downtrodden, dirty feel to it, which makes sense as Ramona seemed to be a woman trapped by her circumstances but paralyzed by them- she waited hand and foot (literally) on her layabout son, and when he disappears, finds her life without purpose.

FERTILIZE

Student | 8:00 | Belgium | 2008   (NYC premiere)
Director: Senne Dehandschutter
Synopsis: A pretty girl surrounded by thousands of warriors is part of a
                magnificent choreography of dance and struggle. In the end
                only one warrior meets destiny.

 This dialogue-free film has a beautiful look, with a definite nod to Dali-surrealism, and also the Donald Parrish painting "Ecstasy" . Beautiful lighting and art direction. It's pretty obvious that the girl is an egg, and the warriors are the sperm trying to reach her. The warriors had tribal Y's painted on their chest, which I found a little heavy-handed.

BYE BYE BOOBIES

LGBT | 14:00 | Australia | 2008
Directors: Wednesday & Jez
Synopsis: In October 2007, Jeremy had chest surgery, completing the
                female-to-male transition he has been working toward for two
                years.

 This one really disappointed me. I felt like there was no direction at all, just a camcorder recording moments, with no commentary. Nothing necessarily wrong with that, but it was all so matter-of-fact, and I really wanted to know how Jeremy was feeling about this big step ("happy" and "excited" just didn't cut it for me), and what the doctors really do.

Apparently this is the second piece the director has made about Jeremy. The first one was about him beginning his transition: taking hormones and meeting with psychiatrists. I think I would have found that piece more intriguing. This one didn't tell me anything.

6.5 Minutes in Tel Aviv

Foreign | 6:30 | Israel | 2007   (NYC premiere)
Director: Mirey Brantz
Synopsis: On the 2006 Purim Holiday, an Arab guy, an Israeli woman,
                paranoia and bus passengers who do not suspect a thing.

 Honestly, I'm done with the post-9/11 paranoia films. Okay, here's an Arab guy on a bus with an overnight bag. Ohmigod, it must be a BOMB! I know that it happens a lot more in Israel than here in the US, and so I shouldn't be so cavalier about it but I think the curators were being lazy choosing this film for the fest. The film is well-shot and well-acted, but it's OLD NEWS. Can we start to move away from these stereotypes, please? I'm paranoia-ed out, personally.

BALBEIZIT (Ball Possession)

Comedy | 8:11 | Netherlands | 2007  (NYC premiere)
Director: Willemiek Kluijfhout
Synopsis: An amateur soccer match ends. All players head for the cosy
                clubhouse. All except Willem, who needs to retrieve his soccer
                ball.

 This was absolutely charming in its simplicity. How many times have we all been in situations that require we make ourselves ridiculous? Willem's soccer ball has landed in a small, still creek, just out of his reach. The lengths he goes to to retrieve it are cringeworthy, very funny, and utterly familiar.

SUBMERGED

 Documentary | 5:30 | USA | 2008   (World premiere)
Director: Jakob Daschek
Synopsis: Amidst the madness of New York City, a virtually unknown surf
                culture is driven by a different current.

This film was shot in a very removed way from its subjects, thus, I have little to say about it. I think it was well-shot (use of natural light on Rockaway Beach specifically-- I know that grey/gold Atlantic Ocean/sky look very well from growing up in Coney Island). Unfortunately, the fact that all the interviews were voiceovers separated the subject from the viewer, which ultimately left this viewer cold.

 A DAY IN A LIFE

Foreign | 21:16 | Belgium | 2008   (NYC premiere)  
Director: Nicolas Daenens
Synopsis: In a crazy daisy chain of events, Mario and Tom rob a bank,
                 Emin drives the getaway car and Jimmy picks pockets. 
                 Their fortunes intertwine over the course of a day.

 This film won AUDIENCE CHOICE in its Program (I voted for it!), and with good reason. It was gritty and slick at once, and it managed to make an unsavory subject (robbery) redeeming. The film is at once slick and gritty, and it reminded me of Tarantino (without the cursing and gore). The main point seems to be "Everything and everyone is connected". An optimistic view of a pessimistic world. Nice.