★★★★ Directed by: Tim Huebschle Written by: Tim Huebschle Starring: Paulus Johannes Film Review by: Vikas Yadav The sun, a bright and burning star at the center of the Solar System, is considered to be the most important source of energy for life on Earth. This flaming sphere is responsible for lighting up our surroundings. Besides its many benefits, a health-related website reports that exposure to sunlight increases the release of a hormone known as serotonin, which is responsible for boosting mood and keeping us calm and focused. It sure tempts you to get out and seize every ray from it. It’s also not a big deal to walk under the fiery rays. In fact, people on the beach take their top off to indulge in sunbathing - not a big deal for the normal eyes. Having said that, there are some people for whom the sun is closer to a bane. For them, it does not meet the criteria of a fun supplement that enhances the joys of spending time at a beach. Such humans can really burn their skin when exposed to the rays. Writer-Director Tim Huebschle’s four-minute documentary titled Another Sunny Day tells the story of one such individual. He is Paulus Johannes, who lives in Namibia, a country in Southern Africa where “four of five days are sunny.” Famous for its sunshine, a place like Namibia is no more than hell for Johannes. He suffers from a rare condition called Albinism, in which your skin becomes sensitive to the sunlight. The sun is Johannes' enemy. A narrative like this could have easily turned into a four-minute lesson on the disease and the daily struggles of Paulus Johannes. Surprisingly, Another Sunny Day starts off as a love letter to the scorching sphere from none other than Johannes himself. Mask the premise, and you won’t get the gist of this film until the end of it. Innocuous dialogues such as, “I like mornings. That’s when I spend time outside,” and “but when the sun sets, it’s beautiful” give an impression of watching a person who is describing his love for the sun or his daily routine. Even when he says lines like, “The time the sun is overhead I rather stay inside,” does not arouse any suspicion. I mean, no one enjoys walking around in the heat. Without synopsis, you can’t figure out that Another Sunny Day is about Albinism (until you reach the last scene). This distinguishes Huebschle’s short from most documentaries who solely rely on the subject of the narrative in the most straightforward, conventional way possible (a person sitting and narrating the story). Another Sunny Day refrains from revealing the face of Johannes till the last scene. It also shifts to a god-eye view when Johannes walks on the streets. Why? This choice visually conveys that he is not the only person in Namibia suffering from this disease. The god-eye view makes him just another person in the field living with Albinism. Another Sunny Day is quite refreshing and unusual for a documentary. One can say that it’s more than “Another Documentary.”

★★★★★ Directed by: #CozGreenop Written by: #CozGreenop Starring: #KimberlyBarrett,#AriadnaCabrol, #PhilipHillPearson Film Review by Lucy Clarke In 2014, Leeds City Council and the West Yorkshire Police set up an area of Leeds as a legal red-light district. Dubbed “Sweet Street”, this is the only initiative of its kind in the country. Unfortunately, this system doesn’t lift sex workers out of their precarious situation but enables them to sell their bodies for longer. Sex work is either demonised or romanticised in film, but Greenop’s latest film shines a harsh bright light on the realities of this precarious and dangerous job instead. Isabella (Ariadna Cabrol) haunts Sweet Street in her puffer jacket and hooped earrings. She lurks under bridges and stands on street corners. We first see her lying on her back in a car, with neon pink and blue lights glowing above her. A man is having sex with her. This opening moment is so visceral, it feels like a punch to the gut. Isabella returns home, where the evening air is dominated by her next-door neighbours having a blazing row. Her friend Kayleigh (Kimberly Barrett) might provide her with support, but she also enables her to continue taking drugs. In an obvious yet well-illustrated metaphor, Isabella is a fly in a spider’s web. She’s a fish trapped in a tank. These gentle shots of nature are contrasted with the grainy, drizzly streets of Leeds. The bright orange scales of the clownfish jar with grimy lived-in locations and the techno music that dominate the rest of the film. In the turquoise glow of the garden centre’s fish tanks, Isabella meets Mark (Philip Hill-Pearson). Mark is from a different world to this customer, and their meet-cute feels like a moment where Isabella can finally gasp for air. Greenop has carefully constructed a short film where Isabella is never demonised. She may take drugs, throw up at house parties and perform sex acts in exchange for money, but he never moralises her actions. The realities of working in such an unforgiving and dangerous industry are pushed up right in front of the viewer’s faces. Isabella is a woman of few words, but it’s obvious she’s been outside of conventional society for so long she’s forgotten how to play her part in it. Mark brings warmth and glimpses of happiness to the film as he takes her on a date to the beach. They sit and watch the tide wash in and out. But as he pushes for a little light conversation, Isabella suffers from cognitive dissidence. Heartbreakingly, she doesn’t know how to deal with a man if he’s not paying for sex. Tinged with sadness yet bleeding with reality, Sweet Street alerts the audience to the realities of sex work. Whatever utopian ideal Leeds City Council and West Yorkshire Police dreamt of, the real Sweet Street has only caused more problems and buried old ones. Coz Greenop’s short, inspired by these true stories, never sensationalises sex work. Instead, it brilliantly captures the harsh reality of working in a red light district.

★★★★★ Directed by #RadheyaJegatheva Written by #RadheyaJegatheva #JayJayJegathesan Starring: #JayJayJegathesan Film Review by Matthew Sawyer The Quiet tells the story of an astronaut (Jay Jay Jegathesan) as he narrates to us the story of his brother and the choices that led to him being imprisoned. He draws parallels between the silence an astronaut experiences in space with the silence an inmate experiences in prison. A twist at the end of the film reveals that all is not as it seems, driving home the message that escapism is limited and you can never leave the prison of your own mind. “Silence is the most beautiful thing that exists in the universe,” the opening line from the film. However, I would argue that music from Radheya Jagatheva is more beautiful. The sound design is interesting throughout. When the film begins, the sounds link the visuals of space with things we would hear in everyday life; an egg being cracked and a gas oven being turned on. As we get to the genius twist in the film, the reasons behind the sound choices become more obvious and the film takes a dark turn. The blood-red visuals, the startling appearance of skulls and the use of Edvard Munch’s The Scream hooks you into the story. This film has a lot to offer. The stunning visuals, the incredible sound design, the emotion in Jegathesan’s narration. It’s all fantastic. The BFI know a great film when they see it. It’s amazing to think this film was pretty much created by two people. The visuals alone look like they were created by fifty people working around the clock. The shots of planets are awe-inspiring. The lighting is gorgeous, with rich blues and greens. The shots of Earth are something to behold. The way the animation gently blends into the next shot is something most filmmakers can only dream to create. Jegathesan tells the story with a lot of heart and emotion. He really pulls us into the story. The way his voice takes turns from optimism and happiness to darkness shows real talent. If I were to place a bet on a young filmmaker someday winning an Oscar, my money would definitely be on Jagatheva. He already had many of his films Oscar qualify. He shows creativity and originality you don’t see very often. Well done to everyone involved. #MatthewSawyer

★★★★ Written by: #MattGray Directed by: #MattGray Starring: #MadelineLEngle #JaceyShaper #IzzyWeaver #SophieJenkins #SydneyLEngle #DeLanoyeRobertson #JoeGetty Film Review by: #ChrisBuick Why not watch Chris' Video Review for Madison Baker Was Here? Tomorrow, Madison Baker (Madeline L’Engle) is moving from California half way across the country thanks to her dad’s new job. Upset about everything she will leave behind and lamenting all the things undone or unsaid, her friends Cassie (Shaper), Blaire (Jenkins) and Nina (Weaver) convince her to sneak out tonight before the big move for one last hurrah. Realising that time is rapidly running out on her life here, reluctantly Madison agrees, even at the cost of striking a deal with her sister Paige (Sydney L’Engle) to keep her mouth shut in exchange for her beloved phone. So, setting out into the night, the girls share their first drink of stolen-from-home vodka (been there), play truth or death (classic) and indulge in some petty vandalism (no comment) but find themselves with no substantial plans for the night. That is until Madison reveals her secret crush that she never got a chance to tell how she feels, thus lighting the spark for the mission that will take the girls on their journey into the wee hours of the night and straight to his door. Madison Baker Was Here is very much the epitome of what indie filmmaking can achieve even on the most limited of budgets, because it nails what are arguably two of the single most important aspects of any film big or small; the story and its characters. That isn’t to say that Madison Baker Was Here isn’t impressive from a technical perspective, it is, and although its budget restrictions are often obvious, it wears that fact with pride and it’s clear how much care and attention has been placed in every aspect of the project from top to bottom. But Gray clearly knows that its story that makes a good film worth watching. There are echoes of some of the great coming of age stories that have come before it, Stand By Me and the more recent Booksmart to name but a few but ultimately, Gray is able to connect with his audience in his own deep and meaningful way that allows us to want to take Madison’s journey with her to the very end, laughing, crying and cheering with her all the way. Not only that, but Gray is also able to give each of his female leads their own fully realised and distinct personalities, each of them as well given their own specific arcs to play out and it’s in these four relatable characters is where almost certainly the film’s greatest strength lies. They act and talk like young girls should and that is a testament to a script that delivers an authentic but unique voice to almost all of its characters. There are a couple of jokes and one-liners that don’t land, not to mention one or two overly-silly plot points the audience is asked to go along with (why is there a guy driving around at all hours delivering eggs to his friends with a menagerie of animals roaming around his backseat?) but for the far greater majority, Madison Baker Was Here has a vein of truly witty brilliance running right through it. Full of heart and almost guaranteed to put a smile on your face, Gray and company make damn sure we all know that Madison Baker was in fact, here. #ChrisBuick Watch the trailer for Madison Baker Was Here here:

★★ Directed by:#AlexanderHarrison Written by: #AlexanderHarrison Starring: #MikaSimmons, #MarkByrne and #CamillaAbrantes Film Review by: David Richards Alexander Harrison’s ‘All my love’ proves to be a very problematic effort at producing a drama revolving around a baron woman’s struggle to produce a child with her cheating negligent husband. The script has a fair plot with good intentions, yet with a lack of technical cohesion and the occasional inattentive execution from all other departments, the plot points do not hit as well as they should. The first two acts seem to pointlessly build to a flat third by dragging out emphasis on a strung-out love triangle with little to no plot. The only interesting aspect seemed to be the twist throughout the second act which adds to what the entire first act needed, a sterner friction between protagonist and antagonist. Perhaps the complexity of the narrative and the desperate need for character development would be more suited to a longer runtime. Mika Simmons’ voice for the spoken dialogue seems her perfect for the casting of Johanna spectre, but her performance alongside this seems almost robotic and stale. In some ways, this could be intentional in an attempt to further display the social angst of her character. The performances from all other cast members are also lacking characterization. However, for a student film to attempt shooting some very intimate scenes, is both a brave venture for Harrison’s direction and the amateur cast. The sound design becomes rocky in moments when it feels the need to overcompensate with heavy soundtracks. This is an attempt to fill an emptiness as a product of a lack in dialogue within lingering shots. These moments, although problematic, could be seen as a device to further develop the characters relationships. The sound mixing bleeds into each scene smoothly and is well accomplished. Due to a lack of casting in some scenes, the sound design offers a decent attempt at compensating for the absence of atmosphere. Fyras Slaiman’s charming cinematography is slick and in modern taste with some nice framing and camera movements. The majority of shots have little to no faults. This deems Marcelo Veloz’s editing as justifiable as they often linger too heavily on some of these shots creating dull moments within some scenes of characters contemplating dialogue or introducing new characters. Hu Zhang’s Production design have done the best they can, however it is the choice of location that drives the image of setting, if any. All technical elements neglect the need to push emphasis on key moments that display true character traits. When Johanna cuts her hand on a smashed glass is just one of these moments that fails to hit its mark. ‘All my love’ is a very ambitious project that falls short of accomplishing the standards of what a professional short film should be.

★★★ Directed by: Akshay Padmanaba Written by: Akshay Padmanaba Starring: Prithhev Senthilkumar, Jeffrey Nathaniel, Dominic Rocher Short Film Review by: Chris Olson Don't want to read the film review? Why not watch it instead: Grau Film Review Written and directed by Akshay Padmanaba, short film Grau is the debut film from 16mm Productions. Strongly influenced by the work of Martin Scorsese (indeed, there is a quote from the man himself at the film’s beginning), it’s a strong piece of tense filmmaking with excellent visuals, only let down by a melodramatic script and awkward dubbing. A celebrated crime writer finds himself sat opposite the husband of a woman he’s been sleeping with. The cuckholded man presents the writer with several envelopes in a tense standoff that pays homage to cinematic thrillers. It’s beautifully filmed and paced - containing some sublime cinematography that will arrest the viewer, engulfing them into the intense atmosphere that Padmanaba elicits. In some of the opening sequences, we are shown the writer in vulnerable positions, such as a slow zoom on his back in the shower. This created a wonderful sense of dread which was important for what was to come in the later cafe scene with the husband. A beautiful colour palette was chosen for Grau, it’s a short film that just looks masterful. It’s a shame, then, that the film is let down by a few technicals - such as the poorly dubbed voices which will instantly jolt the viewer out of the experience. The script is also fairly amateur, with some strikingly blunt exposition, as well as some unbelievable dialogue throughout which undermined the characters and their behaviour. For example, the writer seemed very ready to get aggressive towards the husband, even though he was in the wrong and had fallen into the trap. A little more apprehension and worry would have felt more compelling. What’s terrific about the short film, are the elements left out. As an astute filmmaker, Akshay Padmanaba masterfully leaves the viewer to deduct certain aspects of the plot without showing them. It would have been all too easy to steamroll into a series of gorey exploitative scenes, flashbacks, or other storytelling devices in order to fill in the gaps, but the film avoids them brilliantly. Had the dialogue been as clever as the filmmaking, then this would have been a sensational movie. As it is, though, it is still a worthy short film to seek out. The movie is available to watch (currently) on YouTube and it is a splendid example of short filmmaking in terms of how to use the form to its full potential, in terms of storytelling, pacing, and how to enroll the viewer’s imagination into your work. #ChrisOlson #VideoReviews

★★★ Stars Directed by: #BenSimms Written by: #RobertBuchta, #BearGrylls, #DelbertShoopman Starring: #BearGrylls Film Review by: Alicia Moore “The protective fence surrounding a wildlife sanctuary has mysteriously suffered a breach. Bear is called in to help rescue a mischievous baboon, track down a hungry lion, and fix the fence before any more animals get out.” Animals on the Loose: A You vs. Wild Movie is an interactive film on Netflix which takes its viewers on an exciting adventure, travelling with Bear Grylls as he is set to complete a number of dangerous tasks. Viewers are given the choice of what movements and decisions he makes throughout the film, ultimately deciding his fate on this escapade. Visually, the film carries the same spark that can be viewed in all of Bear Grylls’ work — impressive camera work and well thought out sequences, and editing of these too. Here, viewers can see both from a third person point of view and a first person point of view, enhancing the evident suspense and intrigue throughout. Continuously switching between the two perspectives, from stable camera operating (Dan Bowring) to more frantic scenes filmed from cameras attached to Grylls, raises the viewer’s heart rate almost immediately yet still manages to keep the overall pace of the film greatly balanced as to not completely overwhelm the senses. Although the tasks presented to Grylls in this film immediately sound daring and upbeat, the choices specifically given to viewers don’t seem to match up with this created atmosphere. This adventure can last from 45 minutes to at least 90 minutes depending on what choices are made, seeming to be that logical responses conclude in the shorter duration. I think to get the most enjoyment from the interactive element, the viewer should have a specific interest in the daring events shown; I’ve always enjoyed Grylls’ content, ever since I was young, but unfortunately you wouldn’t find me in the woods with a smile on my face now. Having that lively interest in such subjects would definitely lead to a more immersive and fulfilling watching experience. On the other hand, during this lockdown period when staying indoors is of high importance, Animals on the Loose: A You vs. Wild Movie would also be a great watch for families to enjoy together, especially when younger children can be included in the excitement it can provide. I liked watching Grylls’ work as I grew and explored because I was always learning new information that I would bank in my mind to tell those around me… even when it might not have been necessarily relevant in the moments I divulged it. It’s a wonderful idea to pass this unruly education to children today through a platform they are more familiar with — and in an interactive way that is sure to hold their attention. Animals on the Loose: A You vs. Wild Movie presents itself as more of a ‘game’ rather than a film which hasn’t actually applied to other interactive releases I know of so far. Other releases could still thrive in a theatre environment, but this film wouldn’t have the same reaction if placed in those surroundings, which I do see as a uniquely positive aspect in its making. Despite its flaws in general, audiences are truly given a thrilling ride alongside a nationally known, experienced adventurer.

★★★ Directed by #JohnFraser Written by #JohnFraser Starring #PeterFlaherty #SarahTimm Film Review by Hope Madden Life imitates art in a film about a struggling photographer, a young prostitute, and an art world more interested in profit than humanity (or art). Choir Girl, writer/director John Fraser’s thriller, sets itself inside and outside the world of art. Eugene (Peter Flaherty) takes old school film photos of what he sees around him in his dicey neighborhood: kids overdosing, violence, prostitution. The photos, like the movie itself, use pristine black and white to give even the most awful content an artful sheen. One photo, in particular, gets Eugene the attention of an ambitious art magazine editor with big things in mind. In it, an underaged girl (Sarah Timm) stares desperately from the abyss of the darkness around her. From here Fraser’s film turns quickly to gritty thriller with overtones of Cronenberg’s masterpiece Eastern Promises and, even more strikingly, Gerard Johnson’s underseen 2014 thriller Hyena. The separation and commingling of the two worlds—dangerous streets and high-end art—offers Fraser opportunities to compare and contrast. Who is being prostituted, exactly? It’s not an uncommon critique of the industry of art, but Fraser’s insights are sincere. Choir Girl’s success rises and falls with Flaherty’s performance. Eugene needs to be simultaneously sketchy and innocent—not one or the other—even in his own mind. Flaherty pulls off this balancing act with a performance that’s sometimes tender, often nasty, but one that never feels manufactured. The surrounding performances are not as strong, although veteran Jillian Murphy brings layers to an important role. Choir Girl asks ugly questions and gets ugly as it looks for answers. At times, the story feels dependent on too many contrivances. Never is that more evident than with the harrowing dramatic climax—a scene that is inevitable and yet unearned. Credit to Fraser, the scene itself is not filmed to feel gratuitous. For a scene this lengthy and torturous to truly work, however, every element leading to it needed to justify it. Stronger storytelling would have helped. It’s a big risk to take, and one that will undoubtedly displease some viewers, but that doesn’t limit the film’s powerful central performance or imaginative execution. #HopeMadden

★ Directed by: Sia Written by: Sia, Dallas Clayton Starring; Kate Hudson, Leslie Odom Jr and Maddie Ziegler Film Review by Robert Stayte Australian musical artist Sia’s approach to making a movie about autism was misguided from the beginning in several ways. Several articles already talked about this before the film even came out, so it will not be covered. Sia transitioning into filmmaking and tackling the subject of autism in it is something that requires strong execution, yet Music is a failure in both of these areas. Zu (Kate Hudson) is a former alcoholic who is asked to be the guardian of her mostly non-verbal autistic half-sister Music (Maddie Ziegler) after her Grandmother (Mary Kay Place) dies. She bonds with African neighbour Odom (Leslie Odom Jr) and attempts to handle her new duty. Music is profoundly misconceived in a way that feels remarkably dated. A film like this might have been acceptable in the 80’s, but today, the usage of autism feels shallow and shoe-horned in, merely a tool for drama and other character’s characterisation (to say nothing of the uncomfortable and debunked meltdown calming technique). Whilst Odom is slightly more than just a wise African sage, the depiction of Asian people is unbelievably regressive, and the usage of stereotypes extends to other characters as no one feels like one with the exception of Zu and Odom. Music, the titular character, is so underdeveloped that she could have been a pet animal, and nothing would have changed. Narratively, Music lacks coherence or dramatic stakes. It feels like 10 different plots are being juggled and yet nothing really happens. Sometimes there are moments of drama, but they largely come and go with no point. Zu being a drug dealer, Odom having AIDS, Odom’s brother’s wedding, a potential romance between the two, Felix not wanting to be a boxer (which feels especially extraneous, underdeveloped and ends on a bizarrely dark note), all of these take up screen time that could be better spent developing its titular character or fleshing out the backstories of the leads beyond awkward expository dialogue. The only overarching plots are Zu becoming less of an alcoholic and being more of a guardian to Music, but even that feels like lip service to real issues rather than a proper exploration. The worst part of Sia’s direction is the musical numbers, which are an attempt to add artistic emotional expression but is Sia’s inability to embrace the film medium and get away from the music video style. Therefore, none of these dance and song numbers feel welcome, well transitioned to or like they have a purpose. The editing is also remarkably bad, with an overuse of montages, certain scenes being too short and fast cutting that makes the watching experience obnoxious. These technical elements are systematic of the confused tonal nature and overall messy feel of Music. Kate Hudson and Odom Jr are admittedly doing their best, have decent chemistry and are practically carrying this material. But Maddie Ziegler really brings the film down, as her performance is painful to watch. She mugs for the camera and overplays the autistic traits to eleven, forgetting to play a character and being stuck in awkward imitation. Elsewhere, several actors turn up for bizarre cameos, the most notable ones being Tig Notoro as the dullest kids show host in history, Henry Rollins for 2 seconds as a random neighbour, and Sia herself in a moment that screams vanity from the rooftops. Music is an early contender for worst of the year, an embarrassing failure that is not worth the time and money it took to make it. Sia has created a stain on her reputation that will take years to go away.

★★★★ Directed by: #EnyaBelakGupta Starring: #YOVA (#JovaRadevska & #MarkVernon) Film Review by Huw Buckley Taking a minimalist approach to the production of a music video can be highly effective, providing that the mise-en-scene, cinematography, and editing are all used effectively. Enya Belak Gupta seems to recognise this, as her video for YOVA’s single ‘You’re the Mirror’ (released in June 2020) is a perfect example of this kind of attention to detail. Gupta makes use of some highly engaging visuals that ensure those watching will be consumed by more than just the music that soundtracks the video. It is a fitting accompaniment to a musical production that oozes with quality. The members of YOVA (Macedonian singer Jova Radevska & London-based artist Mark Vernon) collaborated with some high-calibre musicians, who have worked with the likes of PJ Harvey, Anna Calvi, Kate Bush, and Peter Gabriel, in order to produce the track. The result is an unsurprisingly catchy, easy-going song, with lyrics that hint at some interesting themes. Providing a visual appendage for such a high-quality production was likely a difficult task, but, luckily, Gupta was more than up to the job. The video makes use of some really interesting visuals, often involving the song’s main theme (physical/metaphorical reflections) and provides a fitting companion to the laid-back song with some lovely set-design, packed with pastel shades of cream, peach, and pink making for easy viewing. This complimented with some delicate natural lighting and a stylish, somewhat retro chic approach to set dressing (crumbling plaster walls, antique mirrors and furniture, old suitcases, etc…) results in some highly engaging optics that perfectly reflect the mellow nature of the song. The song itself seems influenced by the sound of the eighties and nineties (possibly a reflection of the musicians that contributed to the piece) and Gupta, as well as editor Victoria Man, seem to reference this in the cinematography, as well as the editing. It’s clever stuff, with its zany transitions and slow-motion shots (that fade in and out in a blur), the style is, at times, reminiscent of a Kate Bush video from that era, and this matches the music in a highly satisfying manner. However, the work doesn’t feel outdated with some invisible cuts, quick pans, and camera work that is, in general, really fluid and well executed. So, while a hat is respectfully doffed to the aesthetic that clearly influences the production, that retro feel certainly doesn’t define the video, and this ensures that the work never feels stylistically outmoded. Overall, this is a really fresh piece of work that has a clear style and Gupta seems to really understand the piece of music and the video reflects this. Most of the video is consigned to the same set but this never gets boring because of Gupta’s intelligent use of design aspects such as colour and props, as well as the highly engaging cinematography and editing. The sonic and visual elements are woven together expertly, and it results in a fun, pleasing, professional music video. See the music video below. #HuwBuckley

★★★ Written & Directed by: #StijnVanGorkum Starring: #AnnaVanDijk, #DirkGuntherMohr, #AnitaHilkman Short Film Review by Taryll Baker An unhealthy family relationship between a woman, her husband and her mother-in-law is about to get out of hand. Family issues. One of the most relatable themes used in cinema today, forever and always. I’d say it’s cliche at this point, but I’m not so sure that will ever be the case. Life on Earth displays a crumbling, toxic bond between a woman and her husband, against the might of her mother-in-law. What begins as a seemingly tense dinner slowly burns into a fire that pays off the viewer with a suitably raw climax. The meal they’re eating looks just as horrible as the relationship between the three characters. The mother is demanding, yelling for her astray, her wine, for the television be turned up — in just a few minutes, you as a viewer will feel just as annoyed as the woman and her husband. There’s a great level of intensity in the build-up to the final solidifying moment, with great attention to detail in the score and sound work. The inner rage slowly heating up and then coming to a soft burst through a sort of predictable but rewarding release. Life on Earth has very little dialogue, so almost all the focus is placed on physical acting through facial and body cues, therefore very important that the cast be on their A-game; which is certainly the case here. The three characters are brought to life by three subtle but brilliant performers; Anna van Dijk, Dirk Gunther Mohr and Anita Hilkman deliver on the “family with issues” trope. Trope it may be, but many families are a lot like this one, so it was executed well in that sense. The camerawork capturing all these wonderful little moments of body language is thanks to cinematographer Marijn te Luggenhorst, whom works around the dining table quite well. There’s a creaking bed of sound from the house, the way the floorboards and chairs squeak out with every movement, and the overlying tension in the air just adds to the fiery atmosphere. Stijn van Gorkum’s writing and direction is stripped back but sharp-focused — a real glaring sense of knowledge in visual storytelling over the use of words. Life on Earth doesn’t bring anything new to the theme of a dramatic fracturing family, but what it does present is quite enjoyable. #TaryllBaker

★★★ Directed by: #NoahGriffiths Written by: #NoahGriffiths Film Review by: Oliver Smither Fake Plants Are Crap, an experimental short film created by Noah Griffiths offers very little in the way of traditional cinematic elements. This is an entirely artistic venture, whose message can be found through the title, which is needed to point the viewer in the right direction and to give them a chance at deriving meaning from this short. With an incredibly brief run time of just under two minutes, Fake Plants Are Craps tends towards the long shot, opting to present very little in each shot with nothing being spoon fed to the viewer. It is, in essence, a viewer driven film, if one can see the point, it has one, if one can’t then it doesn’t. Griffiths does not need to do very much in the realm of sound, there is the loud and synthesised introduction which follows into a rather peaceful, perhaps windy rest of film. The lack of a clear path with this short leaves a viewer rather sceptical about whether it is worth watching, whether they can derive some meaning from it or not. One could see it as a mess of sound and images collected into a two-minute film, or as a calling, for a more environmentally aware society; to dispose with the plastic that runs rampant on Griffiths’ screen. From an artistic perspective, Griffiths clearly has a style, there is a grunge like quality to this short, from the title screen through to the end credits there remains a distinct lack of vibrancy and colour, perhaps to emphasise the lifelessness that fake plants represent. As this short is defined as experimental we can approach it as such. Does it work? If you look hard enough, I believe it can be a worthwhile two minutes, but that’s just it, it’s only two minutes, even if you cannot see any reason for this short, or don’t find yourself giving it any thought afterwards, it hasn’t been a huge waste of time. I find it difficult to categorise this short within any realm of good or bad, there are no traditional cinematic elements to really cement it as film, however, I cannot stop wondering what it all means, and maybe that’s a good thing. The title is key as without it contextualising the content, I wouldn’t be able to see any purpose to it. The real question is, if you can find meaning and see a purpose, is it actually a worthwhile watch? Whilst I can appreciate the creative talent behind the film, I’m not sure it is.