As I awaited the screening of the Curious Couples batch, I looked around at the curious folks in the theatre.
The reporter with his laptop, the man scribbling on his Sudoku clipboard and the couple in front of me who didn’t seem to quite know what they were attending. As they sauntered down the blatantly labeled “Reserved” aisle, the woman looked down with puzzlement at the signs on the seats. Discussing if they should dare to sit elsewhere (despite the fact that not even half the theatre was filled at that point), a couple behind them stated that they were in the reserved club, and the confused couple were welcome to their seats. At which point the woman ripped off the signs and plunked down, turning around to ask Mr. Reservation if there was only one film showing.
For those unaware, the ShortsFest packages as many films as possible into a 90 minute-ish program, grouped by topic. My first for Friday was Curious Couples, concerning twosomes, not necessarily romantic.
First up was “Stuff,” by Karl R. Hearne. In the familiar, awkward territory of a couple moving in together for the first time, a fella lays out the ground rules as to desired decoration. In his opinion, the sparser the better, and he has kindly marked her available space with red tape. In her opinion, ain’t no sale like a shoe sale, with the booty to prove it. A great rip on losing battle.
In the same vein came an animated short, “The Next Move,” (“Möbleeraaja”) by Laura Neuvonen. In funky claymation that has the appearance of a 3D sketch pad, a couple moves into a new apartment, and the woman becomes obsessed with the furniture organization as the man insists on drawing a floor plan for every movement. Cool and quirky, as animation should be.
Next up was a wry little short by Atsushi Ogata, “Eternally Yours” (“Furochoju”). As a conman attempts to fleece an old woman, she sets him about on different tasks and each time he returns she mistakes him for someone else. In a humorous twist, she’s not as senile as she portrays.
Ogata spoke afterwards and divulged that the story idea came from spending an extended visit with his own parents, and the director was inspired to make a senior citizen a protagonist. When I asked him if his parents approved of the final results he said they did, especially as much of it was written during the family visit, and his father would often look over his shoulder to read the drafts.
Ogata explained that the mistaken identity aspect was inspired by the fact that no matter where he is in the world, he gets mistaken for someone else -- from a gas station attendant to a Peruvian runaway in London. After an extensive and humorous explanation, he excused himself and said, “I tend to talk a lot though the film is short.”
Moving from humorous to dramatic, the gently filmed “Pleasance” was directed by Amy Gebhardt. As two aging brothers continue to care for the family farm and talk with their mother graveside, a fracture occurs when the youngest reunites with an old girlfriend and presents the threat of leaving the land. Gebhardt beautifully captures the depth of relationships though backstories are only implied.
The director was not in attendance, but producer Ben Commens explained that the story’s inspiration came from his life on an Australian farm. They filmed in an old Irish settlement, where the myths and local language were infused into the film.
The final film, "Tonto Woman," is easily one of the best of the fest. Read my review here. Writing, acting, directing and cinematography are all stunning, and though I previewed it on a small screen, that doesn’t do justice for its need to be on the big screen.
Actress Charlotte Asprey attended, and said that though they assured her she was their top choice, she still had to audition four or five times. Quite a surprise, considering she perfectly captured the dichotomous pride and shame of her character. She informed that the short was filmed at “Texas Hollywood” in Almería, Spain, as designed for Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns.