CAPTAIN FANTASTIC: 21st Century Parenting
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC: 21st Century Parenting

To title your film with the superlative ‘Fantastic’ is playing with fire. Firstly, in this age of Marvel’s silver screen domination and DC’s valiant attempts to catch up, it would be understandable for any jaded cinema-goer to skip this one, expecting another facile, spandex-clad superhero epic; secondly, if it fails the headlines write themselves, and every movie critic worth their salt would crowbar in a reference to the irony of the film’s title. Luckily, Matt Ross’ sophomore effort Captain Fantastic, following 2012’s 28 Hotel Rooms, will have few critics drawing knives, and anyone eagerly searching for an antithesis to the recent barrage of superhero blockbusters in cinemas will be satisfied, if not delighted, when the credits roll.

#ShortFilmADay Challenge Day 22: SCAPEGOAT
#ShortFilmADay Challenge Day 22: SCAPEGOAT

With the #ShortFilmADay challenge, Film Inquiry promotes the watching of short films, and supports indie film and filmmakers! It’s never to late to join! Find more information about the challenge here.

THE STORY OF THE LAST CHRYSANTHEMUMS: A Devastating Cycle of Sacrifice
THE STORY OF THE LAST CHRYSANTHEMUM: A Devastating Cycle Of Sacrifice

Kenji Mizoguchi’s The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum follows Kikunosuke and Otoku, a young couple in late 19th Century Japan. Kikunosuke is the adopted son of a famous kabuki house, and an emerging kabuki actor; Otoku is one of his family’s servants. Most people, including his adopted father, think Kikunosuke is no good as an actor, but they only criticize him behind his back.

#ShortFilmADay Challenge Day 21: INTO THE LABYRINTH
#ShortFilmADay Challenge Day 21: INTO THE LABYRINTH

With the #ShortFilmADay challenge, Film Inquiry promotes the watching of short films, and supports indie film and filmmakers! It’s never to late to join! Find more information about the challenge here.

PETE'S DRAGON: Retaining Innocence
PETE’S DRAGON: Retaining Innocence

If you’ve ever wondered why fantasy has always been a popular genre in fiction, it might help knowing that all fiction is a form of fantasy, and that stories are a type of self-preservation. Take Martin Scorsese’s wildly entertaining and greatly underappreciated Shutter Island, in which the main character, Teddy, is on a mission to prove he is innocent, only for the truth to reveal that he is anything but. As Teddy becomes fully aware, he finds out that he has created an elaborate fantasy, a hyper-fiction as a ruse to shield himself from the harsh reality.

#ShortFilmADay Challenge Day 20: THE DECELERATORS
#ShortFilmADay Challenge Day 20: THE DECELERATORS

With the #ShortFilmADay challenge, Film Inquiry promotes the watching of short films, and supports indie film and filmmakers! It’s never to late to join! Find more information about the challenge here.

AS I OPEN MY EYES: Not Your Average 'Coming Of Age' Film
AS I OPEN MY EYES: Not Your Average ‘Coming Of Age’ Film

Leyla Bouzid’s French-Tunisian drama goes above and beyond the traditional coming of age story, using one girl’s journey to adulthood to explore politics, revolution and state sanctioned violence. As I Open My Eyes, gaining international attention for its portrayal of the Arab Spring, seeks to tackle such a prominent and life altering event through the eyes of its young protagonist: Farah.

#ShortFilmADay Challenge Day 19: BOXER (Exclusive Online Premiere)
#ShortFilmADay Challenge Day 19: BOXER (Online Premiere)

With the #ShortFilmADay challenge, Film Inquiry promotes the watching of short films, and supports indie film and filmmakers! It’s never to late to join! Find more information about the challenge here.

#ShortFilmADay Challenge Day 18: DAWN
#ShortFilmADay Challenge Day 18: DAWN

With the #ShortFilmADay challenge, Film Inquiry promotes the watching of short films, and supports indie film and filmmakers! It’s never to late to join! Find more information about the challenge here.

#ShortFilmADay Challenge Day 17: This is How
#ShortFilmADay Challenge Day 17: THIS IS HOW

With the #ShortFilmADay challenge, Film Inquiry promotes the watching of short films, and supports indie film and filmmakers! It’s never to late to join! Find more information about the challenge here.

UNDER THE SUN: Pulling Back A Corner Of The Curtain
UNDER THE SUN: Pulling Back A Corner Of The Curtain

Despite frequently being labeled the most reclusive country in the world, in the past half decade or so there have been a preponderance of documentaries about North Korea. TV shows, websites and documentary filmmakers have all offered their own spin on what is colloquially referred to as “The Hermit Kingdom”. Though told in different ways, all of these pieces have generally come to the same conclusion:

#ShortFilmADay Challenge Day 16: ELIZA
#ShortFilmADay Challenge Day 16: ELIZA

With the #ShortFilmADay challenge, Film Inquiry promotes the watching of short films, and supports indie film and filmmakers! It’s never to late to join! Find more information about the challenge here.

POLTERHEIST: Revenge Served Cold, Dead Cold
POLTERHEIST: Revenge Served Cold, Dead Cold

Straight off a win from the 2016 Drunken Film Festival in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, comes a quirky, well written short. Though bleak and serious in its setting, there are definitely lots of laughs here. Polterheist, written by David Gilbank and Paul Renhard, is an entertaining watch, with a nicely planned plot.

#ShortFilmADay Challenge Day 15: TIGHT JEANS
#ShortFilmADay Challenge Day 15: TIGHT JEANS

With the #ShortFilmADay challenge, Film Inquiry promotes the watching of short films, and supports indie film and filmmakers! It’s never to late to join! Find more information about the challenge here.

DON'T BREATHE And Don't Go Into The Basement
DON’T BREATHE And Don’t Go Into The Basement

Have you ever had a dream where you were being chased? In this dream, were you being pursued by a faceless monster? Or perhaps you were being stalked by a familiar presence in the waking world?