Favorite short films (Inspirational Fridays)

I tried the whole Follow Friday thing on Twitter and I get how great it is to gain new followers, but wouldn’t it be more exciting to actually know more about those people? To have more than just names you can click? As artists, we are constantly inspired by other works. I believe these inspirations should be shared with the rest of the world, so other people can discover them as well. This is why I’m starting this new blogging challenge: Inspirational Fridays. 

Every Friday, I’ll write about someone, something or films I find inspiring. Since I’ve mostly made shorts so far, what better way to start than:

Favorite (recent) short films

I tried my best to narrow down the selection, but even getting it down to 10 proved quite hard! Please note that most of these were made/released in the past 10-15 years because that's as far back as my brain can think right now. (I only included links when they were provided by the filmmakers themselves) 

Here they are:

10. When Sally Met Frank - Victoria Waghorn, 2007 

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwjDcCzYkeM)

Yes, I have an obsessive fascination with plastic surgery, so this film is right up my alley! I can’t say more, except watch it if you think you can stomach it! Definitely one of the highlights from the Viscera film fest! 

9. Laundromat - Drew Daywalt, 2010

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsHOLZxzN0E)

This one is everything a horror short should be: short & sweet with a nice ‘bang’ at the end.  

8. Fantasme/Fantasy - Izabel Grondin, 2009 

What can I say about Fantasy except that I found it exceptionally unsettling the first time I watched it; it is unarguably Izabel Grondin’s finest film and still makes me uncomfortable every time I watch it. You can read the review I wrote here. Available on the Viscera film festival DVD.

7. Wretched - Leslie Delano, 2007

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWSKFk25PFM)

This film hits home in many different ways; I think it's the most personal of all my choices. I love the approach of the subject matter and there are some brave directorial choices in there. Just enough dark humour to balance things out.

6. La Dernière Voix/City Without Windows - Julien Fondrede & Karim Hussain, 2001

Beautiful, poetic, haunting... and one of the most interesting aesthetic I've seen. Sadly, people don't make short films like this anymore.  I don't know if it's been officially released, but you can find it floating somewhere...

5. Lipstick - Stacy Ponder & Shannon Lark, 2009

It takes real guts to tackle the theme of chronic masturbation seriously. Especially that of a female chronic masturbator. Ponder and Lark achieve this perfectly by offering a film that is nasty, twisted, unsettling, and totally great. Plus anyone who goes so far as to create what I call the 'cheese-grater dildo' scores major extra points.

4. God's Little Girl - Mitch Davis, 2006

There is something about this film... I still can't quite put my finger on it. Is it the haunting narration? Is it the main character's logic which somehow makes total sense? Is it the unexpected turn of the story? The stunning visuals?  Probably all of the above.  It makes me sad that Mitch Davis hasn't made another film since as it would have been really interesting to see what a feature from him would have been like. 

3. Side Effect - Liz Adams, 2009

Two words: GUILTY. PLEASURE. The ending makes it win the Audience Choice Award pretty much everywhere it plays. Don't let anyone spoil it for you and try to hunt it down to see it for yourself!

2. Beautiful As You Are - Doug Mallette, 2009

(http://vimeo.com/27461061)

This is a true little gem. You know, the kind of film that makes you say 'I wish I made that film'? Well, there you have it. The simple, yet creative story totally blew me away when I first saw it. Oh and I just LOVE the ending. Highly recommended.

1. Cutting Moments - Douglas Buck, 1997 

If you like your entertainment light, funny and enjoyable, I urge you, stay away from this film.  If, like me, you like it painful and raw, this is the film for you. It is quite simply a brilliant piece of cinema. I’m trying to write more about it, but I’m still speechless. This is a film that forever changed me, and if I was given the choice, I would watch it again for the first time. But be warned, this is NOT for everyone. I simply can’t think of any other film that would have a stronger impact on me and, as far as short films go, it’s pretty hard to surpass. Definitely a masterpiece, IMHO.  Available on the Family Portrait: A Trilogy of America DVD.

Honorable mention: Tous les hommes s'appellent Robert - Marc-Henri Boulier, 2010 which is currently touring the festival circuit.