For the Love of Film: Manhattan Shorts (8.03)

Original Air Date: 09.30.2008
Theme Song: "I Love New York" - Madonna

Being a Film major and all, when I received an email about attending the Manhattan Short Film Festival with the school picking up the tab, I ultimately jumped at the chance. New York, here I come! Imagine my surprise when after a 40 minute drive, the College van comes to a halt and the driver says, "We're here." *glances around* ...OH No we're NOT! *snap w/ neck-swivel* This shanty-town's just as "historical" and even more rundown than Gettysburg. I look around at the storefronts and realize that we're actually in York(towne), Pennsylvania (since the film festival is global and all).

Upon arrival at the local arthouse theater, I am handed a ballot and a brochure. The brochure provides synopses for the 12 finalists in the Short Film competition and audience members are to cast their ballot for ONE winner. Even though I'm bored stiff as the organist rocks out to "Somewhere Over The Rainbow," I make it a point not to even open the brochure, so that I'll go in with a clean slate, with no high expectations for any entry. All in all, there are some good ones, some great ones, and a couple that I can't believe made it as finalists. That said, I have ranked all 12 finalists in the festival:

MY TOP 12 MANHATTAN SHORTS

#12: Ripple

Let me start off by saying that I'm a huge fan of dark comedies (including films like Jawbreaker, Death Becomes Her, and Serial Mom); after horror, it's my favorite genre. However, the macabre humor of Ripple is TOO dark, even for me. This film is about an insecure guy who's having the worst day ever: a woman steals his wallet; he pumps gas without paying; he runs over a dog (at this point, there was no winning me over); he bludgeons a "killer" chicken to death; and he accidentally kills a motorist who turns out to be his future father-in-law. Although it has a rare few moments where I cracked a smile or let out a "church giggle," I definitely wasn't "falling out of my seat" as the brochure later assured me I would.

#11: Rachel

Until the ending twist (that can be seen a MILE away), Rachel plays like an annoyingly sweet home video. It's the story of a teenage girl who decides to give her baby up for adoption... except this time, the girl is a scam artist. While watching the film, I felt like the main actress was heavily influenced by Ellen Page's performance in Juno, and it felt like a low-budget parody, not even MADTv quality. The choice of keeping ambient noise during the silent spots really bugged the hell out of me during this one. Frankly, the entire time I sat through Rachel, I was wishing I were at home, re-watching Juno.

#10: ¡Viva Sunita!

Not too much to say about this one. It's short and sweet... with absolutely no plot! xD It plays on the phenomenon commonly known as The Contagion Theory (I think, if I remember AP Psych correctly), or in other words, when a person sees a crowd of people doing the same thing, they will instinctively join in. One guy stands outside an apartment building, screaming "Sunita!" and pedestrians start joining in for no reason at all. Although it's cute and funny, it's better suited as a Jose Cuervo commercial than a film.

#9: Ode Ober (The Waiter)

WHAT?! This film unashamedly goes for a high brow, artsy look and feel. It follows a waiter who knows what people are going to order because of their mannerisms and how they dress. I think it was trying to be witty, but it failed miserably, and just left the audience flabbergasted. Lots of style, little substance, beautifully shot and edited.

#8: Teat Beat of Sex

By far, director Signe Baumane had the most lasting impression because of her likable, outrageous persona. As expected, her animated Teat beats of sex are hilarious; being a big fan of written memoirs, I thoroughly enjoyed it. She talks about the rites of passage we've all been through: breaking away from our parents, losing our virginity, having "almost sex" in graveyards... Good stuff. However, the animation's of laughably crude quality (reminiscent of Drop Dead Fred) and couldn't compete with the other films visually.

#7: Sour Milk

YAWN. Sour Milk recounts the director's mother's experience as a little Jewish girl hiding out in British occupied-Palestine during WWII. Although the film has high production value, is crisply edited, and has a fabulous design on every front (sets, costumes, props, etc), the story isn't interesting enough to leave a lasting impression. Absolutely gorgeous though.

#6: Change Coming

The actress in this film reminds me of Jennifer Connelly (Labyrinth, A Beautiful Mind). ...Just thought I'd throw that out there. Anyway, I thought this entry did the best job of creating a mood of depression and desperation. It kept me on the edge of my seat, wondering what way it was going: the husband wields a gun for half the film, so I was constantly wondering if he would kill himself, his wife and/or their baby. This was probably THE MOST economical use of the short film format of all 12 entries.

#5: Make My Day

Make My Day's a cute story that shows a pudgy boy and his formerly pudgy father at a hospital after an embarrassing bully incident. The only way the father can reach out to his son is through Clint Eastwood quotes and trivia, living by the motto, "What Would Clint Do?" However, when the father finds himself in the same room as one of his childhood tormentors, he doesn't stand up for himself... leaving his son to do it for him. It uses nice dry humor (not British but Danish), but once again, it felt like it would've made a better Public Service Announcement than a short film.

#4: The Game

The Game uses black-and-white very appropriately, since it stars gameplayers who move pieces across a checkered board. It's a cool concept, and I'm surprised that I figured it out within the first 2 minutes (the opponent's hospital gown was a dead giveaway). The game is actually a metaphor for "The Game of Life," and the loser dies in the real world. Very creative storyline.

#3: Mother, Mine

This one starts out as a sweet, heartwarming drama... in fact, I remember slouching in my seat, waiting in agony for a sickeningly sentimental LifeTime flick. Boy, was I wrong! By far the best TWIST in the bunch, Mother, Mine slowly turns from a drama to a horror film. I literally had to pick my jaw up off the floor after the final scene. I LOVED it!

#2: New Boy

I've gotta say, New Boy was AMAZING. It definitely made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, as opposed to Teat Beats, which made me feel icky-sticky all over. xD Based on a short story, New Boy is a story of an African boy who is transferred to a predominantly white Irish elementary school. Anyone who's ever felt like an outsider in any way can relate. What I like most about this film is how the children don't judge each other by race; they don't like him at first only because he's branded the "new kid." It's genuinely touching when the kids so easily forget this distinction when they're bonded together by laughter and a common enemy (namely, their teacher). For a long time this film was my #1 choice and I held out quite nicely until I saw...

#1: The Golden Thread

The Golden Thread weaves together a duel narrative about a shy cat lady looking for some fun and a mother of two "trapped" in a dead-end marriage. The aforementioned Golden Thread refers to a children's bedtime story that emphasizes the existentialist idea that everything in the universe is connected. Being a firm believer in "the infinite" and the human race's innate connection with nature, I absolutely fell in love with the story and all the lush nature imagery used in the film. Plus, it was the only entry to use 3-D particle effects (for the fairy dust), and that was just awesome!

That's what I think, and in case you were wondering, here's what the overall consensus was among Festival voters:

BEST FILM: New Boy
BEST ANIMATION: Teat Beat of Sex
BEST EDITED SHORT: Ode Ober (The Waiter)