XX - Yagmur Ekim Yilmaz This is a highly stylized film in the vein of the allegorical art films of the 1970s. This is a series of symbols with a plot to keep them all from happening at once. The symbols seem obvious - apples (temptation, sin, the fall), women hand-in-hand (comfort, attraction, stability), a character who head and face were never shown (mystery, longing, shame?), walls (organization, defense, control) and more. Perhaps it is a cynical view, but I felt as if the story was about the acceptance of a romantic between two women as something potentially shameful, forbidden, damaging. Shots showing the discarded remnants of their interactions would seem to indicate that, though to be honest, I may be reading too deeply in some areas without consideration of other elements. |
Babel, Ltd. - Smari Gunn The avant garde in film is usually represented by imagery, repetition, and staging. In theatre, it is via the absurdity of the scenario, most often. In that sense, Babel, ltd. is more of a stage piece, in that it is a straight ahead short in every aspect save for the content. The story is a business man orders his underlings to fix something. We're in the dark as to what, but we discover that that the three staff share no language, at least they don't seem to, but they go about working with one another towards some goal. The production was beautiful, with lighting and sound that was almost brilliantly normal, until it was time to not be normal. It was a subtle switch. Overall, this is a weird short that I think you'll love. |