Watch this short film, then we’ll talk…

Right?

Take your time and consider that film. It’s okay…I’ll wait.

3 minutes and 44 seconds! That’s all it takes. That’s all it takes to build two complete characters and breathe all of their desires into a living world; to set you up for a clichéd ending that gets obliterated by a sledgehammer of a twist. Its a short.

But the effect is anything but brief. The great advantage of a short is, by revealing so little of itself, it forces us, the audience, to do all the work. Impasse doesn’t end with a young nazi on a train, but rather, when you stop thinking about. The film is just the ignition source; just the spark that lights the jet-fueled fires of our awareness. It carries on long after the credits roll. It keeps churning inside of you into tomorrow and the next day proving that a film is as great or small as the impact it causes. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was 3 hours long; but I haven’t thought about it since. Now that’s a short.

At IndiePix, one of my hallowed responsibilities is to find and acquire the best of the little giants; short films which use less than half an hour to make more drama than most directors can with two. I have developed a bit of a habit for these pocket masterpieces, but I can’t help noticing they have a hard time finding their audiences. Perhaps John Q Filmlover is wary of not getting the proper bang for his proper buck?

If I’m gonna get my credit card all the way out of my pocket to purchase 10 minutes of anything, it had better be for the best 10 minutes of my life. But how can I be sure?

That’s why I’m here; to watch the Good, the Bad and the Ugly and sort out the Impasses from the chaff. So here, since neither you nor I will read anything on the internet unless it comes numerically categorized, is my list of the best ten cinematic atomies I’ve seen this year:

When considering this list it is important to note that 1) These are not all from this year, just films that I have personally encountered this year, 2) The list goes from ten to one, so you lazy people will have to scroll past all that brilliance to check out #1,  3) This list is purely one man’s opinion, no matter how unquestionably and irrevocably correct it may happen to be.

10. RED MESA – It seems a pity to put this jem at the bottom of the list, as I love it so, but in the dog-eat-dog world of top ten lists, there must be sacrifices. This visual poetry, which I saw at NYLIFF this summer, is just plain gorgeous. Filled with passionate characters and raw visuals which can’t be forgotten, Red Mesa makes Director Ilana Lapid someone to keep a look out for in the future. Like most great shorts, the story is a simple one: star-crossed lovers from two sides of the border who are destined for conflict. It’s an oldy and a goody, but Lapid wraps this tale in such a warm and loving embrace, both visually and contextually, that you feel like you’d be happy watching the story of paint drying, provided she filmed it.

9. ESPERANDO MUJERES (Waiting for Women) – This is a film which I have long wanted to bring to IndiePix since the Brooklyn Film Festival. It insightfully renders the true story of the remote Spanish village of Riofrio, which is populated entirely by aged, single men. With no hope for the soothing influence of the fairer sex, these hapless men bus in a gaggle of single women from Madrid to quell their loneliness. What follows is like a middle-school dance, except your grandparents went instead of you. Director Estephan Wagner brings us a scene filled with wanna-be lotharios, childlike awkwardness and surprising heart. One of the few comedies on the list, the film proves that a laugh can sent up a poignant staement better than you’d think.

8. SISTER WIFE – Chances are you’ve already heard of this “little short that could”. It played Sundance and SXSW, among others, and has a firm spot in my heart (arguably more important). Dori Ann is a Mormon women who is wed to the same husband as her sister. The way she unveils her inner doubts and beliefs for me is proof that director Jill Orschel has set a benchmark for the art of the interview in documentary film. She draws so much honesty and conflict from DoriAnn that we see all the facets and contradictions of polygamy move through one woman’s face as if she were a microcosm for the issue itself. It was devastating and yet completely believable in one breath. Available at IndiePix btw. Watch it. Thank me later.

7. TEAM TALIBAN – The art of the mini-doc is an under-explored genre. Sometimes the story simply doesn’t require that much telling or the arguement is best left ot the audience to work out for themselves. Benjamin Kegan’s tiny titan gives us a glimpse of the life of professional wrestler Adeel Alam, a Muslim American who’s passion for wrestling causes him to take on the overtly offensive persona of a villanous terrorist in order to incite the anger of fans and raise his own profile within the wrestling world. Lyrical and moving, this tribute to one man’s sacrifice speaks volumes about the American psyche within the War on Terror without mentioning 911. It’s a brilliant example of the sort of film which carries on long after its credits and is also available from IndiePix.

6. PINCHAS – Sweet little Pinchas. This adorable film charmed its way into my heart, and this list, after I had the pleasure at the Brooklyn Film Festival. Pini Tavger’s treat will be available from IndiePix on the 15th, just in time for Hanukkah. Young Pinchas has recently immigrated to Israel from Russia and, while his mother is distracted by work and an ellicit affair, has a lot of time and few friends. But, when he is taken in by a Jewish family, he brings a child’s perspective to holiness which is both hilarious and revealing. This carefully wrought, and never patronizing film is more of a short story than a twisty-turney short; but it’s a feel-good half-hour which, if I haven’t mentioned previously, is cuter than a pail of kittens.

5. GLASS TRAP - This high-octane, testosterone fueled short is about Polish tough guys who look hard, act strong, drive fast cars and…gamble on fighting fish. You heard me, fighting fish. Pawel Ferdek has infiltrated the world of aquarium fish warfare and has brought us all a thrilling short film about the men who risk everything on these bug-eyed gladiators. The fighting itself is brutal and quick, but the rabid skin-headed thugs who crowd around these little battles are the real stars of the show. One man is so invested in his little contender, that he plans to finance his new automobile on flipper’s winnings.  But beyond the humor, Glass Trap is about machismo at its most intense, if not bizarre.

4.  AKIKO – LEV Pictures in the Netherlands knows how to make a short film. This jewel from across the pond is everything which I want in a short. It’s visually stunning, mysterious and provocative; the kind of film which draws you in without saying a word. Beautiful women, dark highway, lots of confusion, what’s not to like. Like most shorts, it has a twist ending and never fully explains itself until the last frame. To explain it any further might disperse some of its brilliance, so you’ll just have to trust me when I say that director Michaël Sewandono has crafted an unappreciated masterpiece of a short which you should see right now. Oh wait, you can see it right now because it’s available from IndiePix and just a click away. Go!

3. IMPASSE – Remember when we all watched Impasse at the beginning of this blog?  Yeah, me too. It was good wasn’t it? Oh what’s that? Thank you? Oh, you’re welcome reader. But don’t thank me. Thank director Bram Schouw for spending a Thursday making one of the best shorts I’ve ever seen. This is definitely the shortest of the films on the list, but as I have said, its legacy lives on long after the credits. What I remember loving most about this film was how easily I was suckered into believing in their attraction and the little missed connections of life. It’s also proof of how we immediately identify and support anyone on camera. In film, everyone is “innnocent until proven Nazi”. Hats off to clever filmmakers who never cease to exploit cinema convention and surprise us even as they inspire.

2. THE KINGDOM OF FOOLS – This is my favorite short film in the IndiePix arsenal and it’s a doozy. Martin Joliceour has got a dark sense of irony, but bless his heart for it. A young man wrestles with his emotions after his lover is assaulted and hospitalized. Their once beautiful love is strained until she spots her attacker one day while out for a drive. Our “hero” follows him into a secluded alley and then… trust me, you don’t know what happens next. A short film can do anything, and The Kingdom of Fools features a gut-wrenching twist which will leave your mouth gaping wide. I refuse to tell you anything further, lest I ruin my favorite twist ending ever, so you’ll have to get it from IndiePix right now.

1. GLORY AT SEA – During my time at IndiePix, I have watched more films in a given week then you might in a year. I have a DVD collection that could choke an Elephant and I routinely and passionately engage in cinematic debates as concise and inane as “best post-apocalyptic gladiatorial car-racing film…ever.” The only reason I present my bewildering cinephile credentials is so that when I say Glory at Sea is the one of the best film (not shorts) which I have ever seen, you will understand that I am am being very serious. Despite being 23 minutes long, it sits securely in my top ten films ever made and belongs among the prestigious host of four films which have ever made me cry.  (I’ll write that blog for y’all someday)

But for now, let’s concentrate on this little masterpiece. When I met director Ben Zeitlin at IFP, he handed me a copy without realizing that he had just made a life-long fan. A terrible storm has ravaged a coastal town sending many of its inhabitants down beneath the sea into the underworld. One man, still living, clings to his lover until he is hurtled back into the world of the living. He washes up on the shore and immediately begins building a raft to sail back out to sea.  The storm’s survivors are inspired and rally together to augment his raft with debris which reminds them of their lost loved ones. Together, they risk everything and sail out to sea to reunite with their families.

And I balled like a newborn babe.

Perhaps it is the brilliant soundtrack by Dan Romer and Ben Zeitlin or the delicate and earthy visual tone. Maybe it’s the way that the film gathers up all the pain and shame of of hurricane disaster and wraps it in hope and courage without ever whispering the word “Katrina”. For me it has to do with my father, who I lost ten years ago, and would give anything to sail out into the sea and find again. But for all of us, and this film is truly for all of us, it isn’t about anything. It is a work of mythical grandeur, which takes our great tradition of imaginative storytelling and unapolegetically applies it directly to our human struggle. Thank you Court 13 Collective. Thank you very much.

Wait! It’s free online! This film just keeps giving. Stop whatever you’re doing (even if it is reading a brilliant blog) and just watch Glory at Sea.

If your still here, shame on you. Get off blog and go watch a short film (unless you want to read Paige’s great article about Docs you haven’t, but should see). Remember to always support the little guys and help support the filmmakers who only need a moment of your time to change your life.