This is a lovely short from Iran. Four people in a compartment on a train. They go through a dark tunnel and there is a kiss and then a slap.
Who kissed whom? Who got slapped? Of course, it is never what you think. This one got me laughing at the end and crawled up under my skin and kept me laughing for a while.
Who did you think did the kissing and the slapping?
This is an amazing short that does exactly what a movie should do in the purest sense. Tell a story visually.
Even though the settings are ordinary (bachelor’s apartment, office buildings, city streets), the camera angles and movement, framing, lines, lighting, are not.
“Signs” by director Patrick Hughes is a lovely romantic story.
The lead actor and actress do not have a single line of dialogue in here (unless you count their signs).
I found this gem of a short on Vimeo, but you can watch it on YouTube. All I know about this director is he is a filmmaker from Madrid.
The angles and lighting help to convey a tone of pure anxiety. I had to watch it quite a few times as I was completely astonished by this guy’s work. The acting and story line are excellent as well (and there’s a twist at the end), but what stands out for me is the cinematography.
The name of the short is “God Bless You.”
If you like watching on Vimeo, it is here:
God Bless You – Short film from Lizondo on Vimeo.
This is a four minute short by French director/screenwriter Philippe Orreindy. A guy steps into a subway and says:
Ladies and Gentlemen, ever so sorry to bother you. Don’t worry, I’m not here to beg for money. Let me introduce myself. My name’s Antoine. I’m 29. I recently read in a magazine that there are about 5 million single women in France. Where are they? I’m looking for a lady aged between 18 and 55 who’s also had trouble meeting someone in a conventional way and who wouldn’t mind giving a honest relationship with someone a shot…
This short took me through a range of emotions. It melted my heart, made me laugh in a feel-good way, then a surprised way, and finally a guilty way. Go see if you have four minutes.
A fellow work shopper, Rane Walin (AKA Zee) needs your vote right now. She’s got a script, “Ace in the Hole” which won a first act reading at Wildsound Feedback Film Festivals.
You can watch the reading (by real actors) and vote here. If she wins, she gets a full script reading.
Go Rane!
The Show Must Go On 