(eat my) Shorts!

Short Docs:

Black Sheep - A sad and painfully honest look at racism through the lens of a young man who did the best he could to fit in with his oppressors and join in their hate and anger. We humans are so broken! Kudos to the film maker and subject for their authenticity and vulnerability in approaching this broader topic with an awareness of trauma, cycles of abuse and the stigma of emotions in men.


Endgame - A sad and painfully honest look at dying.  I wept pretty openly through this whole thing. This doc rubbed right up against my fear of dying, my sadness at the thought of saying good-bye to people, my grief for those I have lost. This was a real Zen exercise in trying to not resist my pain but to feel it, let it move through me and then release it, all while trying not to sob loudly in a crowded movie theatre! There are the beginnings in the piece of a movement toward a whole person approach to dying, an ending of some taboos and a celebration (dare I say?) of the transition. I think that is the right direction.

Lifeboat - A sad and painfully honest look at the humanitarian crisis of refugees fleeing from Northern Africa to Europe. (Haven't I seen at least three other docs about this in this category over that last two years?) This short was such a reminder to simply feel grateful everyday for the privilege of where I was born and the resources and protections available to me. Humans who are nearly identical to me in their genetic make up and ability to feel hope, fear, joy and pain are born with far less chance for any stability in their lives. I like the Ship Captain that says if you stand back from a situation like the refugee crisis you can just see it all as one big problem, but if you bring yourself in close enough to see the individual humans involved your thinking moves from your head to your heart and you know that you have to do something. Thanks to these film makers for bringing us a little closer.

A Night at the Garden - A sad and painfully honest look at the night in 1939 when 20,000 Nazi sympathizers held a rally in New York City. It's good to remember that Charlottesville has ancestors, that Nazis are not monsters but terrified humans that hate because it is easier than facing their own fears of inadequacy, that those kind of toxic humans can occur anywhere not just by some evil magic in the Germany of the past. Oh my gods! We are a collective trainwreck, humanity.

Period. End of Sentence. - A sad hopeful and painfully honest look at the taboo of menstruation in India. Men don't know what a period is! Girls can't go to school! Oh no, we humans are a mess all over again...but wait! This film is about detailing a solution rather than defining a problem. A man invents a machine to make pads and women become empowered in a myriad of ways as a result. Finally! I was able to stop my constant cringe and cry! Upbeat music, sassy women, change on the horizon. I'm not sure this was the best doc but it was certainly the most appreciated. And thanks to the programmers for putting it last so I could walk into the light of day with a less tear splotched face!


Animated Shorts

Animal Behavior - Mildly funny look at animals in therapy

Bao - Emotional story about love and letting go. It's weird to me that she eats her kid, but that's cool.

Late Afternoon - I appreciate that this uses animation for the purpose of trying to give visual understanding to something that science has been unable to sufficiently explain to us; the inner world of a person with alzheimers. 

One Small Step - A very personal feeling story about connection, grieving and perseverance that somehow felt a little empty.

Weekends - A partially abstract look at a kid splitting time between his recently divorced parents. This one was hardest for me to connect to emotionally.

Live Action

I was warned by two friends that these were "brutal" and "damaging" which I think was good because I steeled myself and then found them to be not very difficult at all. It's all about the expectation!

Detainment - A couple of white boys get some free range time to screw around and...This one is the most disturbing by far, because it's based on truth. They are ten year olds who find a two year old and they...aren't very nice.

Fauve - A couple of white boys get some free range time to screw around and...they are stupid and...something really bad happens.

Marguerite - A film about my future, when I am close to death and regretting not having had any lesbian relationships.

Mother - A third film about how when you are a parent you should never, ever let your children out of your sight. Not even with people you should be able to trust. This one had the best film making for my taste.

Skin - A white boy gets ample time to screw around and be a "boys' boy". (Also, his parents are racist.) His gun doesn't kill someone but HE does.