Alejandra Lozano Gmez

#80529206
Analysis of 10 Short Films
In little words, a short film is a film that is not long enough to be considered a
feature film. They can range up to 40 minutes or less. The success of short films come from
the fact that these are the small projects created by amateur directors. In the end, these wellcrafted and little films will help these directors boost their art in ways to achieve bigger
things. The importance of short films lies within that fact. An outstanding filmmaker began
from somewhere, and this is its tiny somewhere that should not be overlooked. In this
essay, I will analyze and critique 10 short films I personally picked from the website,
shortoftheweek.com.
Teens like Phil
Starting off the list, we have Teens like Phil, directed by Dominic Haxton and David
Rosler. This beautiful and gut-wrenching American short begins in an almost eerie,
nightmare-like scenario, with someone breathing painfully in the background as a boy is
being chased by a group of kids in a football field. As the shot progresses, the loud,
distorted roar of the kids becomes clearer and as they approach the boy in a savage frenzy,
the intention behind their fury turns palpable. The boy stops for a few seconds in front of
what appears to be a homeless man with a vacant expression in his eyes before being
tackled to the ground. Is he running away or facing himself? The scene changes, and a
woman opens a door before a look of horror crosses her expression. Soon, we meet Phil, a
teenage boy whose story will slowly and masterfully be unveiled by the impeccable script
and the direction of both Haxton and Rosler.
Lasting approximately 21 minutes, Teens like Phil is the story about a gay teen

named Phil who is struggling with his identity and his sexuality while having to endure
being bullied by his past friend Adam and his classmates. However, just as the camera tells
the story of Phil, it also reveals the story of Adam, intersecting the two in a brilliant and
devastating way. With themes like bullying, homophobia, identity and suicide, Teens like
Phil manages to handle their spectrum with depth and raw clarity. By addressing the issue
of bullying, it sets a message that no bully became that way on his or her own. It leaves a
message that hate is a vicious, almost endless circle that infects the person who inflicts it
and the one who endures it. In order to understand the relationship between Adam and Phil,
the backstory of both must be explored.
The film scatters detailed fragments throughout its
frames that soon connect in the end to all its various themes. A way to learn more about
Phil and his struggle for identity is to look closer. For example, him (and Adam) listening
to a radio station which provides monologues depicting the human nature, or the open copy
in Phils drawer of Sigmund Freuds Civilization and its Discontents, which illustrates the
tensions between conformity and individuality.
With a vivid touch and emotional vulnerability, the filmmakers manage to achieve
gripping moments due to their ability to capture and enhance physical sensations, for
example, the shots as Phil and Adam sit side by side. The sexual tensions builds up with the
help of the camera and it only adds up to the emotional turmoil the characters are going
through.
Teens like Phil is a masterful achievement about the struggle of sexuality, identity
and setting a message about the bully and the bullied when such topics clash violently.
Resonating because of its story against a society where this problems happen, this short
film is breathless.

Dust
Who would have imagined that the story behind a man following a woman and her
daughter couldve taken such an inexplicable turn? Directed by Ben Ockrent and Jake
Russell, and starring the incredible Alan Rickman, we have a peculiar story with a twist.
Set in what appears to be a small United Kingdom town, the warm, soft tones of the lens
focus on a disheveled-looking man in front of a school. A little girl appears to be waiting
for her mother as she is being observed by said man. Once her mother picks her up and they
embark the way home, this old man soon follows closely behind. The uncertainty and lack
of backstory leaves vague ideas as to why this man is following this child and her mother.
Is he an estranged grandfather? Is he an old man with vile intentions? All of these thoughts
rush in as the family reach their home.
Saying absolutely nothing at all, Alan Rickman carries this short film with
formidable weight and an unsettling intensity that makes the mind race into trying to figure
out what this character wants. With a predatory glint in his eyes, the character leaves an
enthralling tension with every step he takes as the film progresses, which only intensifies
until reaching a peak. Going from unsettling, to disturbing, to astoundingly surprising in
only 7 minutes, Dust plays with the idea of the uncertain and societys stereotypes as it
develops. By taking it to context in now-a-days culture, this UK film packs an impressive
narrative that can deals with issues like the idea of child abuse and, in the end, drugs. But it
all has a purpose. As the film reaches an end, the character does not turn out to be an
estranged grandfather or a man with ill intentions. Alan Rickmans character is not a
compassionate creature, but a needy one.
The filmmakers played with a childlike idea to help them broaden this theme they

wanted to achieve by turning it into a subject regarding adulthood and the concern about
greed and avarice within society.
Daybreak
As it is, its already difficult to portray with exactitude and grace the point of view
of an individual, but as adults, to portray the point of view of children goes beyond the
perspective in order to access experiences from the past to fit those eyes. Filmmaker Ian
Lagarde, for instance, decided to choose one of the most difficult spectrums of children
behavior: boredom that turns destructive.
With no specific dialogue resonating within Daybreak, its all up to Lagarde and his
direction to carry the weight of this 11 minute piece. Following a group of children who at
the beginning appear to peacefully ride bikes through a modern suburban district, the tone
and ambience of the film slowly starts to give off a vibe that is almost disquieting. With
naturalistic lightning surrounding its frame and progressive slow motion shots, the film
sucks its audience in for a disturbing journey.
Running on an almost hierarchical structure, the dynamics of this group of kids
escalates as boredom pushes their limits and each other to see how far they are willing to go
in games that resemble the harshness of adulthood. The morals in this film blur with
Lagardes need to properly execute the childrens point of view. While it may appear
senseless and meaningless, what Lagarde manages to do is a film that focuses on the
childrens behavior entirely. As the children destroy an apartment with a distorted metal
song in the background, the audience sees a sense of regret in two of the main characters as
they both decide silently to leave, before getting caught at the door. Childs play, isnt it?

Rattle
Directed by Ed Chen, this American animated short plays with the ideas behind the
nature of envy and violence rooted within humanity and society. By following a
chronological order depicting birth and then death, this black and white piece reaches
ambitious lengths due to its heavy narrative that has to be covered in only two minutes. As
envy progresses each time more viciously than the last between two individuals in different
scenarios, the never ending cycle of violence that bursts out of its characters is what makes
this short outstanding because its message is universal. The heavy use of a score that
resembles a war zone in the form of daunting drums that escalate as the film progresses
only extenuates the terrifying tension of this animation. In the end, death makes its
appearance by destroying two characters turned skeletons that explode like a firework,
closing the cycle of greed and violence.
1982
In the list, we have yet another childhood story, only this time, we get to experience
it from the understanding of an adult as he remembers the struggles he endured as a six year
old and the effect it has on his own son. Directed by Jeremy Breslau, this American film
touches the impact of passing down your own past fights to people you love.
With beautiful narrative, visual originality, long tracking shots and other technical
elements that make this film feel like an unremitting dream, we float in the head of a
blocked writer as he remembers his childhood in a stormy night. What is most impressive
about this short is its ability to make the audience remember that pang of loneliness we all
surely felt at one point in our childhood as we desperately tried to get our parents attention.
With the help of perfectly chosen props and focusing absolutely on the boys point of view,
the nostalgic feel within the frames helps intensify the narrative in a bittersweet and perfect

way. The thick atmosphere of muted desperation and hushed dialogue only increases with
each second that passes.
Ending with both style and an impeccable narrative, we are left observing the
realization in the mans expression as he sleeps besides his son, breaking an unhealthy
cycle in the process.
Foxes
Both gloomy and downright ethereal, this Irish film, adapted from Garret Shanleys
short story with the same name, clashes fantasy with reality. Directed by Lorcan Finnegan,
this story begins in an almost suffocating isolated area (despite the fact that thousands of
houses that practically look the same decorate the greyish tonality of the set) where a young
couple resides.
Discussing the feeling of isolation without necessarily being alone, the main
protagonist is a red-headed girl with sharp features tired of her existence in the house she is
residing in, with a husband who keeps bickering about her not having a job. She finds
solace by taking pictures, particularly of foxes who run around the house at night. But the
echo of the screeching foxes is almost a contrast against the tone of the film, since with
every passing minute, the tension builds.
With superb acting, and foggy shots, the film leaps into a fantasy world that we
share with the young woman. As she becomes more and more feral, her savageness
accentuates the ambience within the film. Making a connection between nature and man,
Finnegan masterfully ends this piece.
Skin
With a beautiful and disturbing storyline, Skin is a macabre and daunting tale about
a lonely child who falls in love with a girl, only the thing here is that this boy is a

taxidermist and the girls dog dies.

Gorgeously shot by director Jordana Spiro, this film grips the audience with its
unnerving mood and at the same time, it inflicts a bittersweet element that has to do with its
narrative and the expertly executed way in which it unfolds. As we follow this boy and his
slow but strong care for this girl, the ambience not only feels like it describes him but its
an element that feels like its a part of him as well. The innocence and natural beauty within
Spiros direction complement the boy as the desperate feeling of loneliness evolves each
time until it takes a drastic turn. By experimenting on the idea of an outsider, the fact that
the boy is a taxidermist who has been ripped from childhood freedom enhances the concept
of something so grotesque that is in the hands of a child. Something that requires a stomach
and a chilly perception has become an everyday job for him. The idea of death and
mortality come into play as we view and experience it through this boys eyes.
As the two characters get close in hushed tones and soft smiles, the death of
the girls dog changes everything drastically but Spiro maintains the film in a thin line
between innocence and, yes, horror.
Les Adieux de la Grise (A Shade of Grey)
Directed by Herv Demers, we have a story of innocence lost. Following the daily
and quiet routine of a girl named Nomy in her Canadian farm, the director takes us
through a soft narrative that turns dark and realistic rather quickly. In the eyes of this girl
and with the help of a beautiful color palette that ranges from pastel tones to a white that
contrasts with the innocence within her, the tonality of the film falls almost under a perfect
dreamlike scenario. Wrapped up in a cocoon of peacefulness, the ambience given by
Demers enhance a sense of tranquility. Not once is it implied that something dark is just
around the corner, and this only helps with the authenticity of such issue.

As a devastating event involving one of the animals she loved the most, a rare, grey
Alpaca, Nomy is bound to experience first handedly the harshness and reality of life, as
well as living and understanding the quick and delicate mortality that lies in all. Connecting
us with Nomy, Demers uses beautiful shots involving her time spent with the animal, as
she caresses and whispers to it confidently, only making us aware of the connection.
By touching the subject of when the human mind reaches a point of maturity, the
film is both touching and gut-wrenching as we learn to deal with loss and life.
Worlds We Created
When a moment is so unbearably painful in our life, we mostly try and run away
from it. Its not so much that we physically run away, but we try to achieve a sense of
comfort that maybe memories of our past can only bring us. Dealing with loss and guilt,
this film is a devastating experience regarding a three boys and them dealing with a horrible
consequence at such a young age.
The greatest achievement from the director Nicholas Santos here, however, is his
perfect depiction of the children we are following. Not once do we feel we are living this in
the perspective of an adult. The camera solely focuses on the main character, cutting off at
one point part of her mothers face as we learn to live through his eyes. Already the
audience can tell his imaginative and creative side, although we see a reserved glint in his
eye. As he is taken to a house with other two boys, they soon begin to play. But, with one
of the boys punching him unabashedly, it soon starts to take a darker and more mature tone.
The shift between adulthood and childhood is present yet we never break from this boys
perspective. Walking the line between reality and imagination, an event breaks everything
apart and makes reality present, but as he runs away from these consequences, the boy once
more returns to his imagination in order to cope.

Next Floor
Prisoners Denis Villeneuve gives us an incredible short film with the name, Next
Floor. By far, one of my favorite in this list, this mastermind and his impeccable sense of
directing presents to us a film discussing a consumerist society and its consumer.
Dark and macabre, the narrative is set in a dust and gloomy building. At the center,
we see a table full with what appears to be a group of undoubtedly rich men. However, as
we look closely, we see there is no grace and no elegance. This is due to the fact that they
are practically shoving food down their throats like greedy emaciated animals. One man
observing sticks out from the rest, and as he appears to look at the camera, Villeneuves
direction implies that we must know and be part of what this man knows. Which is, in all
sense of the word, greed.
As the men and women eat and eat with exotic meals drenched in blood, the floor
beneath them cracks and off they go, down to the next floor. Soon, the dust that scattered
their clothes and the men cleaning the floor at the beginning start to make sense. This, it
seems, appeared to be a never ending cycle.
All in all, it feels like this has been a film depicting the existence and the main
problem in human society that has drenched its margins for over a thousand years. Once
you have it, you cannot stop, even if you cant take it anymore, and greed knows, as well as
the men who are powerful enough to control this society, with keeping you blind and eating
without not even questioning if what is done is right.

References
Breslau, J. (Director). (2014). 1982 [Motion Picture].
Chen, E. (Director). (2014). Rattle [Motion Picture].
Demers, H. (Director). (2014). Les Adieux de la Grise [Motion Picture].
Finnegan, L. (Director). (2014). Foxes [Motion Picture].
Haxton, D., & Rosler, D. (Directors). (2012). Teens like Phil [Motion Picture].
Lagarde, I. (Director). (2014). Daybreak [Motion Picture].
Ockrent, B., & Russell, J. (Directors). (2013). Dust [Motion Picture].
Santos, N. (Director). (2013). Worlds We Created [Motion Picture].
Spiro, J. (Director). (2014). Skin [Motion Picture].
Villeneuve (Director). (2013). Next Floor [Motion Picture].