a short film thread

Movies
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This will have some overlap with the various YouTube threads, but I thought it would be nice to have a thread linking to short films — not just footage of a kitty falling off a desk or someone driving across the continental United States, but something with a narrative and maybe even credits at the end.

This one, which doesn’t seem to have a consistent title, came out at the start of the year. It’s about Paul Rudd playing a game of “quantum chess” with Dr. Stephen Hawking and is about as nerdy as you’d expect. It’s directed by Alex Winter, who is trying to make a movie about Frank Zappa and used to play teens in movies. I think it’s intended to be edutainment.

(2023 edit: updated file location)

“Hyper-Reality” is a really interesting short that was posted a few months ago. The main POV character shows desperation in a near-future of augmented reality.

What have you found?

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Here’s an old but good one – probably NSFW but not really NSFW. If in doubt, NSFW.

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Rope a Dope

And its sequel:

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The best short film I’ve ever seen is The Lunch Date. It is available on YouTube.

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Around the early 2000s, I went to short-film showing in a theater in Seattle. They showed several short-films that really stayed with me. One was about a boy in Pakistan or India, sneaking across the border. One was a very memorable song-and-dance film about a hostage situation in a diner. And there was one about a working class mother in England trying to go on a date despite having 3 or 4 kids. I’m missing a few, but those were the three that I still remember. I wonder if there’s a way for me to track down their names somehow?

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The first one sounds like Little Terrorist.

I’d be so happy to see (more?) stuff like this show up on Netflix. I wonder if they’ve considered it.

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This thread is dangerously close to becoming moderate in length.

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A little on the lengthy side, but The Accountant (2001) is so, so worth it. I believe this Oscar-winning short is Walter Goggin’s debut. It’s tied with Valgaften as my personal favorite mini-movie. I can’t recommend it enough.

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That was terrific, @MrTibbs, thank you.

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Front page: Best thing you’ll see all week: Lake Nowhere (40 minute film)

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzkbRdvOEq0

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Lunch Date is charming. I used to show that to my screenwriting students every year but I haven’t lately. Maybe I’ll go back to it this year. It was recently selected for the National Film Registry!

And I’ve never seen The Accountant but I really want to. I remember when Goggins and Lisa Blount (Prince of Darkness!) won their Oscar for it.

I’m about to share too many links but I’ve collected dozens of faves over the years.

Six Shooter - Martin McDonagh’s Oscar winning short

Helicopter by Ari Gold - “When I was twenty, my mother was killed in a helicopter crash with rock music promoter Bill Graham, whom she had recently begun dating after a nearly two-decades courtship. To many rock musicians and fans, Graham was a god; to my brother, my sister, and me, who hardly knew him, it seemed his death was so big it just took our mother with it.”

I Love Sarah Jane - Coming-of-age, zombie style.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYxs7Y7ulrM

All’s Fair - https://vimeo.com/82070977
Excellent, hilarious break-up rom-com starring Silicon Valley’s Thomas Middleditch.

A Reasonable Request - https://vimeo.com/130730908
One-location, all dialogue, filthy and very funny. Features Mr. Show’s John Ennis.

Bombshell - https://vimeo.com/134951164
Recent NYU student film by Erin Sanger.

Zari - Haunting, little sci-fi story. (The description is misleading… forget the dog. It’s just about the lonely robot.)

But if I really had to choose an all-time favorite, that’s easy. Five Feet High and Rising by Peter Sollett.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6_OZlEGxp0

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The Hire Series was pretty good I always thought.

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This is worth 15 minutes.

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I watched the Oscar-nominated Fauve recently and loved it. A harrowing must see!

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Glad you posted that – thank you!

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Andrea Arnold’s Oscar winning short Wasp is so well-crafted. She obviously has a lot of empathy for marginalized perspectives.

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YES! Wasp is amazing. I think I’ve seen it 8 or 10 times.

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Oh wow, I can’t believe you guys found Wasp! I didn’t remember that name at all. I saw that movie as part of a film festival thing in Seattle back in 2003. They showed about 5 short movies, and Wasp was the last one, the big finale. Great, great film.

Edit: Oh hey, I mentioned that upthread too, back in 2016, but with regards to another short film I saw at that showing.

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That (“Wasp”) was freaking brilliantly done on all levels. Glad you posted it.