Tribeca Film Festival – Live Action Shorts: Into The Void

I love short films. There is such an importance to them that I feel goes unacknowledged – many of the films only available at festivals. But for many, this is their ground breaking moment, their first step as a filmmaker. From many of the short films, past and present, we are presented a first look at our future masters of film.

The Tribeca Film Festival honors and acknowledges these film makers, creating ten showcases to exhibit the best of the best from this year’s submissions in a variety of categories. These are The Tribeca Live Action Shorts: Into the Void.

The 716th

The 716th from director Andrew Bowen was awkward in the beginning, the humor and story not appearing to be cohesive enough from the get go. Yet, somewhere in the first five minutes, the humor fit nicely and I became engrossed in the story at hand. I wanted to know this new sci-fi world in the middle of battle, where physicians would risk it all to save a soldier.

By the film’s conclusion, I wanted more – I wanted a full length feature. It felt as though this was a pitch for something bigger, and I really hope it was. I love and find it frustrating when a short film seems to be bigger than itself – it lends to the potential of the film maker and brings a validation of strength to the film at hand.

Hearing that two soldier are trapped on the planet below and the station he is on is about to abandon them, Doc (Andrew Bowen) decides that no more soldiers are going to die, stealing a small craft for his self imposed rescue mission. Breaking through each obstacle he is faced with along the way, he makes it to the soldiers in time – much to the disbelief of Scout (Lauren McFall). Yet, with escape just on the horizon, he finds that the individuals he is carrying may be more than what meets the eye.

Writer, director and actor Andrew Bowen brings to life a hip and humorous medical personnel full of confidence and bravery – one that is sure to solidify a strong following given the chance. Even if this short film was not intended for something larger, it definitely has me excited to see what Bowen will bring to the screen in the future.

Bad Peter

Bad Peter was disturbing. I hate to put it so bluntly, but it was. With its Black Mirror and Handmaid’s Tale vibe, there were so many questions following the film’s conclusion – questions I shouldn’t even want to ask because of the horrific maternity this woman is forced to endure. Why was this being done to her? Was this the future?

Bad Peter from director and writer Zach Strauss follows the day in the life of soon to be mother Rachel (Frankie Shaw) caring for herself and her unborn child. Peter (Ross Partridge), an Alexa-esq maternity device , guides her through her day, instructing and trying to make it a perfect pregnancy. Yet, as her day progresses, viewers come to the realization that Peter is not as much of a guide, but rather a maternal dictator. He is there to ensure that the pregnancy is perfect and commences smoothly, resulting in a healthy baby. Rachel is stripped of her maternal instincts and decision making, forced to follow what Peter instructs – no matter what.

While Peter had been designed to keep her healthy and make it the perfect pregnancy, Rachel looks drained, ragged and unhealthy. She is unkept, every moment of her day dedicated managing a strict lifestyle to create the perfect child per the electronic device. I was angry for this woman watching, curious as to why she was being placed into such treatment. Was it her doing or was she forced to do this due to laws, men, government or past behaviors? Was this an example of technology taking over and us regretting it in the aftermath?

This final question was what I hope Zach Strauss was intending to convey to his audience. The continuing direction of society to rely heavily on technology for even the basic of daily functions might one day give way to heavy consequences. By incorporating every piece of tech we can get our hands on, we might find that we loose ourselves in the process.

Exit Strategy

Time travel has dazzled the minds of film makers for years, the imagination diving into the endless possibilities surrounding the ability to manipulate time – as well as the consequences that follow. In his latest short film, Travis Bible focuses on a pair of brothers who desperately try to prevent a catastrophic fire and the deaths of those it claims. With Exit Strategy, viewers are forced to consider the lack of control we truly have in not only shaping our lives but controlling them.

Surprising his brother Matt (Richard Kohnke), Shane (Christopher O’Shea) implores his brother to follow a strict layout of actions in order to help prevent the inevitable deaths from a fire in the local woods. While hesitant to believe his brother at first, Matt begins to trust his brother’s claim of a time loop and a chance to change time. As they race to the future scene of the tragedy, viewers come to realize that this is not the first time the two brothers have attempted to cheat time and change the path of history – coming to a more horrifying understanding that time is alive and evolving.

While reminiscent at times of Final Destination, Exit Strategy has its own twists and turns that make it unique and stand on its own. Like Final Destination, time is personified, a living organism determined to go undefeated. Yet, the endearing and seemingly selfless acts of the brothers stretches it reach beyond the horror franchise, creating a unique sense of urgency and individuality. Lighting from cinematographer Rob Senska is fitting to the concept of a time loop, giving Exit Strategy a hazy and dream light feel to it.

Your heart will go out to these two brothers, especially as each meticulously calculate obstacle is overcome. Yet, with each triumph comes a new challenge and new potential failure.

Let Them Die Like Lovers

“This is not my body” should sadly have been “This is not my film”.

Out of all the films in this segment, I was disappointed by the lack of originality in Let Them Die Like Lovers from director Jesse Atlas. While done very well, this short was to reminiscent of Wanted starring James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie. Due to this very close similarity, I found it difficult to connect to the film, finding it hard to see it for what it really was – the internal battle of right and wrong.

Let Them Die Like Lovers, much like Wanted, follows the story of two assassins who follow out the orders dictated to them by a higher power. Where spools of woven textile gave the name of the victim in Wanted, in Let Them Die an inspired looking light bright with numbers is used to locate the individual assigned. Using her trained abilities to inhabit another body, Alexa carries out the assassinations, leaving someone else to take the fall. Yet, by doing this, suspected terrorist and murders are taken care of before they can commit their heinous crimes. Days into the project, she begins to fall apart, torn with the damage she has inflicted and becoming more and more convinced that what she is doing was something wrong.

While there were differences between the two films, it was hard to overlook the similarities. The story was good, and the low lighting provided to the film gave it a dark, tense overtone. There was its own individual message laced throughout that is given a chance at the end to explode outward, no longer buried deep within out main character.

UI – Soon We Will All Be One

While I am sure others will find deep meaning in UI – Soon We Will All Be One from Austrian director Johannes Mücke, I was lost from the moment the film began. The disconnect from the character on screen and the voiceover was to harsh, one that I was not able to overcome as the film progressed. While I understand what the film was trying to convey, the horrifying unity of technology, social media and the blind risk we take diving into it – absorption into a single unit – I was never fully enthralled enough connect.

Scouting her assigned post, Kira (Tanja Petrovsky) is informed that there is a sensor off line that needs to be investigated and repaired. As she investigates the error in the sensor, she notices a building in the distance – one that viewers are left to assume was never there before. Against the commands of Cyprus (Michael Smulik) to wait for back up, Kira makes her way closer, curiosity getting the better of her. Yet, what she is soon to find out, the cool and calm exterior of the building holds harsh evils within.

While in whole, UI was clearly an original idea, though at times I couldn’t help but find myself waiting for The Cube to begin. The medieval details and void of the room within the building throwing me back to the classic horror film. Besides the voice over, much of the dialogue in the beginning and subject matter was out of place. The failed romantic banter between our two main characters was unnecessary for establishing our characters and for introducing drive. While it filled the void as Kira carried out her mission, it did not fit.

UI – Soon We Will All Be One was a visual masterpiece. This may have also attributed to my disconnect as I had a hard time focusing on the story whose strength was overshadowed. The visual creation by cinematographer Petra Korner AAC and Mücke was enough on its own that lends the film to need to be viewed.

Laboratory Conditions

What if we could quantify and measure the human soul? What would that mean to history, to religion and the world? In Jocelyn Stamat‘s latest short film Laboratory Conditions, she captures the fascination of mankind in the existence of the human soul and the sometimes obsessive and irresponsible nature of scientists.

Approaching the end of her shift and finishing her rounds, Dr. Emma Halloway (Marisa Tomei) is surprised to find that her last patient of the evening has gone missing from his room. While not expected to live through the night, no one is able to confirm whether the patient has died, nor where his body has been taken. While waiting for the nurses to straighten out the discrepancy and locate her patient, Dr. Halloway sees him in the back of an ambulance leaving the hospital. With a feeling something is off, she follows.

Arriving at a desolate and abandoned building, she is shocked to find the inside bustling with equipment, students and a modified containment room. Discovering her patient is to be used for a soul searching experiment, Dr. Halloway finds herself deciding between life and death – not just for her patient but for everyone present.

Laboratory Conditions was beautifully filmed and an interesting concept, my biggest complaint that it ended to soon – which is always great sign. I wanted more, to find out what happens following the closing shot. It was left for my imagination to fill in the blanks, but all I wanted was to know the thoughts of screenwriter Terry Rossio and director Jocelyn Stamat. With stars Marisa Tomei and Minnie Driver leading the cast, I walked into the theater hoping for exactly what I got – a spectacular short film.