FILM / Captain Canada's Movie Rodeo / February 2020 / Gabriel Ricard
Image © Robbie Ryan
I have no one to blame but myself for the very long list of short films I still need to see.
In the same way that short stories don’t receive nearly as much attention and respect as novels, short films are generally ignored in favor of longer works. While I’m not smart enough to know why that’s the case, I’d guess at least some of it is due to marketing. For whatever reason, people seem to think it’s easier to sell single, long-form ideas. Even TV shows are essentially saying, “Stick around for at least a few months, but we’re only going to give you one piece at a time.”
Short films are honored at the Oscars, yeah. At the same time, if they ever decided to cut the show for time, short film categories would probably be among the first relegated to the non-televised wilderness of having to simply exist at an industry awards show. Short films, both fictional and documentary, have launched many careers. Some of the best directors of all time have a deep inventory of short subjects that are well worth a look (David Lynch comes to mind).
So, what’s the problem? Are short films just inherently inferior, and we’re somehow aware of that? Of course not. Yet short films are ignored by the majority. Including myself. The idea then is to make at least an effort to change that, if only on my end.
This edition of the Rodeo will pick out a few of the short films I’ve seen in the past few months. The Criterion Channel makes it a point to offer a robust library of short subjects, which I am extremely grateful for. That is where these reviews are coming from, but I will try to post links to sites that offer the film for free. Obviously, I would suggest supporting this stuff financially whenever possible.
As it turns out, a lot of these short movies are free to watch. Check YouTube. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Lick the Star (1998): B+
A teenage girl ruins her life, at least for the foreseeable future, by making a casual remark about another girl in her class. In fourteen minutes, Sofia Coppola’s Lick the Star captures the tension of being trapped in a horrible mistake in a place you can’t leave. Chloe gets to go home at the end of each day. However, naturally, her nightmare follows her there. The tension is also significantly enhanced by a claustrophobia that starts early and wraps itself around with shocking efficiency for such a short running time.
Lick the Star was Coppola’s first effort as a director. You can see here why she stuck with it. With a unique approach to isolation, Coppola’s story about the boundless confusion and frustration of childhood, which doesn’t necessarily improve as one ages, is a notable work in any sense.
Saute ma ville (1968): C+
Another first film from a young female director. Better known for Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, the late, Chantal Akerman often dealt with the struggle to establish identity as a fluid ideology, as opposed to rigid labels and concepts. Written and directed by Akerman when she was just eighteen—she also plays the film’s only character—Saute ma ville is very much a product of those thoughts.
It is also perhaps the most abstract work she made over a long, remarkable career—tragically cut short by suicide when she was only 65. The rough edges, combined with what you could describe as a formless delirium in its storytelling, can make this short film a little challenging to sit through at times. But I would suggest giving it a try. At only 13 minutes, the movie offers a striking, chilling depiction of the compulsion to destroy.
Borom Sarret (1963): A+
Over a span of roughly 18 minutes, this intense, sorrowful short film by Ousmane Sembène makes the case for the state of Senegal post-independence. The politics of the time and place surrounding this African country are worth a deeper look. However, if you don’t have the time or energy, you can still take a lot from this story of an unfortunate former soldier (Ly Abdoulay), who now struggles to make ends meet as a cart driver in Dakar.
Borom Sarret accomplishes an incredible amount of storytelling and perspective-relating over its short running time. Watching this man try his best against the slow suffocation created by unreasonable obstacles can give you at least an idea of the past and future. Not just in the sense of the story, but in terms of the time and place captured by the film.
It is hard to say if things are really any better. After all, it’s 2020, and the poor are poorer than ever all over the world. This searing attack on capitalism and colonialism could be made today virtually anywhere in the world, with very few necessary changes. At the same time, Borom Sarret is a singular work from a singular Senegalese voice.
Wasp (2003): A+
Cannes favorite Andrea Arnold rightfully won the 2004 Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film for her 2003 film Wasp. The basic premise has a young woman named Zoe—a riveting performance by Natalie Press)—who is desperate to make a date work out at her local bar. Her four small children, who struggle to understand and keep up, are the only thing holding her back. What sounds like a premise for an episode of a sitcom is in fact an occasionally uncomfortable look at an overwhelmed parent who is simply doing their best.
Wasp does not pass judgement on Zoe. No matter what, you really want something good to happen to these people. The movie can be anxiety-inducing, but it also strongly suggests that kindness and responsibility can sometimes trade insults.
Pioneer (2011): A+
A father (Will Oldham, who is absolutely perfect) tells his young son (Myles Brooks, who is also perfect) a story. Over the span of 11 minutes, he tells his son the utterly extraordinary story of how he met the boy’s mother. With a beautiful eye for intimacy, as well as the chemistry between Oldham and Brooks, writer/director David Lowery showcases more than just an emotionally intense short about family. He creates a wonderous tribute to the concept of telling a story, knowing your audience, and building upon the audience’s interest in what the teller of the story has to say. To be sure, you will be just as fascinated as the young boy.
If Lowery’s basic idea was expanded into a full feature dedicated to a slower telling of what we get here, I suppose that would be fine. Then again, there is something to be said for something that is cinematic and quietly energetic in this self-contained medium, and yet also trusts us to find this story in our own imaginations. Without wasting a second, Lowery creates a short that exists stunningly in both of these endeavors.
Gabriel Ricard writes, edits, and occasionally acts. His books Love and Quarters and Bondage Night are available through Moran Press, in addition to A Ludicrous Split (Alien Buddha Press) and Clouds of Hungry Dogs (Kleft Jaw Press). He is also a writer, performer, and producer with Belligerent Prom Queen Productions. He lives on a horrible place called Long Island.