★★ Directed by #KondorShekari Written by #KondorShekari Starring #AboalghasemShekari #PedramAzarshib Film Review by Lisa Ogunmayin The Vulture documentary film The Vulture is a documentary film that addresses the age-old battle between rural towns and large corporations. The issues raised are what you would come to expect when a mining company rolls into a peaceful, farming town that thrived among a treasure of granite rock. Noise and air pollution, destruction of farming land, and the changing landscape are a few of the complaints lodged by the locals living by the Karkas mountain range in Iran. On one hand, the townspeople are relatively poor but content until the miners arrive; their lack of knowledge about their rights and other legal jargon has rendered them helpless in fending off this intrusion. On the other hand, the mining work has provided a job and salary for some. This benefit, at least to the people of Karkas, doesn’t outweigh the disadvantages and harm caused by mining. Up until you see the first person onscreen, the film opens and is narrated as if watching a nature documentary. As it continues, it gives the impression of watching an Al Jazeera special news report. If its title ‘Vulture’ is meant to describe the mining company, it seems quite appropriate as the town is suitably named Karkas. The background instrumental music even makes the miners and their work seem more menacing than they are. Getting through the subtitles in this film might be a struggle in places as the translation had some errors which made some sentences a bit confusing and the yellow text against the backdrop of some scenes was hard to read. This doesn’t take away from the overall understanding of the film, it might just be a little frustrating. 37+ minutes (viewing time before the credits) is relatively long, considering the message the director was trying to get across. Shots of the beauty of the landscape and ancient buildings are understandably used to emphasise the need for preservation. However, an audience may see this as excessive and somewhat boring. Additionally, many of the concerns were repeated throughout the film by the same people; a lot of which could have easily been condensed and edited more concisely. Consequently, rather than truly sympathising with the locals, one might simply see them as disgruntled farmers. Overall, audiences will understand the helplessness felt by the townspeople of Karkas, especially due to their lack of legal knowledge. They’ll be amused at the farmers’ crude attempts to block roads to the mountains and ultimately resort to hoping for the best for the people of Karkas. #LisaOgunmayin

★★★ Directed by: #GeorgesSchwizgebel Written by: #GeorgesSchwizgebel Film Review by: Ian Lunny The Battle of San Romano is an impactful and dramatic study of the 15th century masterpiece of the same name by Paolo Uccello. Georges Schwizgebel uses his years of experiences in animation to create a transformative piece that presents that brutality and violence of war in a distinctive style. Schwizgebel’s folding animation of Uccello’s piece brings a new lens to a classic painting, highlighting the linear perspective that had become famous in Italian Renaissance paintings. This is beautifully demonstrated as the art continues to repeat itself returning us back to the start of the piece, until we reach a point in where we finally see the painting (Niccolò Mauruzi da Tolentino unseats Bernardino della Carda at the Battle of San Romano) in its full glory. This progression is emphasized with an intense, stirring score by Judith Gruber-Stitzer. An almost violent string section floods the room as you witness the painting twist and turn into life. The Battle of San Romano is a fascinating look into Renaissance art, using a unique art style and a powerful score.

★★★★★ Directed by: #RogerRossWilliams Starring: #SamariaRice #AmandaKing #FrankSmith #CourtlandCox #VirginiaAli #DavidStrader #SandraButterTrusdale #TherrellSmith Film Review by: Ian Lunny With the backdrop of the tragic death of George Floyd, Academy award winner Roger Ross Williams’s 2019 VR documentary film provides a unique and confrontational journey into the lives of those who have experienced, and continue to experience the racial prejudice still rife in the United States of America. Traveling While Black initially greets the viewer with the familiar and friendly setting of the cinema, where the silver screen presents you with footage of a segregated America of years gone by, with a narrator explaining the premise of the now out-of-print Green Book, a documentation of safe havens for the black community during the era of Jim Crow. However, the setting gradually changes from the cinema to an empty street corner lit by a diner, Ben’s Chili Bowl. This diner is our setting for the documentary, and an important landmark that continues its legacy as a safe place for the Black community of Washington DC to this day. No longer are we presented with the past as footage, but rather we are placed within the conversation, hearing the stories of those who suffered through the Jim Crow era of American history and used the diners across America, like Ben’s Chili Bowl, or threats, bars, and social spaces that the Green Book listed for safety. Traveling While Black is less of a documentary film and more of an immersive experience which confronts the viewer with the painful aspects of the past, with the ever-present spectre of this discrimination continuing to this day. This goal of presenting the viewer with the truth that the black experience in America has not changed from that of the Jim Crow era is done in a masterful way, beginning with subtle images paralleling the current lives of the community which uses Ben’s Chili bowl to that of the past. A scene in which we hear from Virginia Ali, former owner of the Chili Bowl, begins with her narration over the past, but then takes us to her interview in the present discussing the day to day life of the dinner at that time. However, the two scenes become one, with the past being played in a mirror behind her, reflecting that present that we live in is not all that different from the world left behind. Although a painful journey, Traveling While Black does highlight the love that the community in Washington, and across the United States, shares with the diner, always being busy with patrons as we listen in on their lives. The sound design is of particular importance as the use of music throughout is crucial, with a soft piano piece playing over footage of violence, rioting and discrimination, but in the diner we are greeted by the sounds of people's lives that surround us. When experiencing this, I felt a sense of emotion that, as a white viewer, was important to experience. The stark contrast between the violence experienced by those such as Rodney King, footage of which we are presented with, and the daily lives of those in the diner provides an ever-present tense that each of their lives has been affected by this discrimination. A particular scene where Courtland Cox, a peaceful protester in the Civil Rights movement, discusses how the actions of Rosa Parks and others has allowed the youth of the Black community to be able to “dream bigger” is a tipping point in the film, as he states this to a young boy bringing together the pain of the past with the potential of the future. Williams leads us with the use of VR technology to this present and confronts us with the painful truth that this dream has turned into a nightmare for the community, as phrased by Samaria Rice, mother of Tamir Rice, a twelve-year-old boy shot by Cleveland Police in 2014. In this scene we are again front and centre through VR as Samaria recounts the day her son was taken from her, surrounded by the community of the Chili Bowl. This is the crescendo of emotion that the film has been building towards and it is a hard scene to bear, as unlike the others, which have the hustle and bustle of life within the diner, we are all silent to hear this mother’s pain. It is the climax of the journey of which we have been invited into by Williams, and we are again returned to the cinema to watch the footage of Tamir being shot within seconds of police arriving at the scene. We are presented the footage in the same manner as the past footage, to challenge the narrative of change within the USA. We are finally presented with the words of Victor Hugo Green, writer of The Green Book, that this catalogue of safe havens for the black community would be out-of-print once equality has been achieved. We watch on from our safe cinema in a world where The Green Book is now out-of-print, but with the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer at the front of your mind. Williams’s film experience is a eulogy for all those killed, discriminated against and segregated within the United States, and confronts the truth that this racism has never changed.

★★★ Directed by: #AgnèsPatron Written by: #AgnèsPatron Film Review by: Ian Lunny Agnès Patron’s animated short, 'And Then The Bear' (L'heure de l'ours), lacks the comfort of a traditional narrative and this will make the film less accessible to some viewers. However, its distinctive and vivid imagery will shock and capture the audience's attention, leaving you pondering the true damage that neglect has on a child's psyche. And 'Then The Bear’s' narrative is difficult to piece together, as it is told through the eyes of a boy whose life is thrown into turmoil with the arrival of a dangerous man into his home. We are presented with dark images of the imagination that blur the lines between reality and falsity. We are initially greeted with a calm setting of a homestead, remote and isolated, but we are soon dropped into the dark world that the neglect of the boy's mother has caused in his mind. A crucial aspect of this narrative is the art style of the animation, which further compounds the child’s eyes through which we see the film. With a unique and minimalist technique, the world is constructed of a limited palette, which serves to highlight the disturbing nature of the film. A sense of tension is built with the use of unsettling imagery, akin to that of David Cronenberg, as we slowly see the boy be stripped of his childhood innocence. This horror-esque style is sprinkled throughout the film where we see burning homes across the screen, a metaphor for the broken homes that cause the loss of innocence within children. This visual tension is bolstered by a rhythmic score which builds to a point where we see the boy entering the woods, riding bears to the sound of the peculiar music. This passage of the film feels more like a mood than a story, as the images began to cut and change in rapid succession, the marching of the bears ridden by children, our protagonist beating his mother, burning homes, and interpretive dance by hollow-faced childlike figures. Although these images are idiosyncratic and unforgettable, the film will be hard to follow for some viewers, and I found myself more impressed by the imagery than the story itself. Patron may have intended this as the film has no dialogue and intends for the images themselves to be this story but, although very unique and beautiful in their horror, the story becomes lost behind the overwhelming art.

★★★★ Directed by: #AndrewPochan Written by: #SueLange Starring: #LinneaSage #AndrewPochan #ChrisHeslop #Sampappagallo #GregPoppa Indie Film Review by #ChrisBuick Dust Nuggets Movie Review When we first meet band manager KK Colson (Sage), she is being wheeled unconscious into an ambulance after an incident at a hotel swimming pool. Now lying in a coma trapped somewhere between life and the light at the end of the tunnel, we enter the surreal projections of her subconscious as she begins to relive a version of events that not only chart the unlikely rise to fame of the Dust Nuggets (the band she represents) but also the tragic choices that have led to her current dire situation. However, an underlying guilt is preventing KK’s brain from telling us and herself the real story and unless she decides to accept the truth of what really happened, she might never wake up. There are no two ways about it, Dust Nuggets is a bit of a mindfuck and a film that asks for a bit of faith and patience from its audience in the beginning, but what might initially feel like utter confusion eventually gives way to an incredibly smart, ambitious and truly unique tale off guilt, envy, ambition, purgatory and self-acceptance. Its first half-hour or so might be the biggest struggle for some. After its dramatic start, we suddenly descend into a musical number about GHB aboard a private jet, before inexplicably teleporting to a throwback tale of youthful whimsy and jealousy that could have been plucked straight out of a Wes Anderson movie. Though this charming episode of the film gives us a great deal of insight into the envious relationship KK has with her fiercely talented friend Joanie (Fallyn Smith), those expecting a deep cerebral thriller might be raising a few eyebrows. But it's not long until the film gets the Twin Peaks treatment in both look and feel. As the Lynchian screw starts to turn and KK’s two realities begin to bleed into each other more and more, suddenly you find your eureka moment where everything that came before makes so much sense and you can’t help but appreciate what has all along been a brilliant marriage of intelligent writing and sophisticated eye for visual storytelling. Intelligent is not simply a superlative lightly thrown around here either. If one was so inclined towards multiple viewings, they would no doubt found a plethora of hidden details each time, not just in its dialogue but splashed all around the set-pieces and backgrounds. Details that are full of subtle foreshadowing, recurring themes and consistent wordings that become increasingly significant in their meaning every time they wriggle in your ear, you soon begin to realise that Lange and Pochan have been giving you clues all along. Not everything manages to connect to the bigger narrative though, there are moments that feel too far apart from the rest of the brilliance here and because you get into the habit of looking for those connections, they become more obvious. As for the cast, Sage’s decent performance manages to find a good balance between the comical and the dramatic and she can turn up the emotion when needed, but although admittedly this is her story, there are few others that really stand out other than being loud and some actually perhaps seem to lean too far towards the fantastical and could do with pulling it back somewhat. With Dust Nuggets, it’s like a jigsaw puzzle where only Lange and Pochan know what the picture is on the box and are slowly feeding us pieces at a time so we can slowly put it all together until we too can appreciate their finished article for the great piece of work that it is. #ChrisBuick

★★★★★ Directed by #LironTopaz #PierrePerifel #JPSans Starring: #DavidPSmith #DeeBradleyBaker Film review by Nathanial Eker If there's an animated film to put you off visiting the deserts of Australia, it's Bilby. This delightful short from Dreamworks Animation hits all the right emotional beats to create a fast-paced, exciting, and heartwarming adventure. Throw in a top-notch score from composer Benjamin Wallfisch and stunning visuals and you get a classical short that blends the best of the often saccharine Pixar shorts with the comedic edge of early Warner Bros. cartoons. A lone bilby wanders the depths of the Australian outback, desperately searching for food. When he stumbles across a baby gull, he must contend with spiders, snakes, and everything else the desert has to throw at him as he tries to protect it. Dreamworks Animation has the advantage of being a little more 'edgy' than its contemporaries and Bilby is no exception. Its protagonist is world-weary and the script manages to get away with one or two darker jokes that a certain mouse would never be allowed to include. That's not to say it doesn't provide the euphorically happy ending that you'd expect from an animated short aimed at children, but the little bits of grit that it does provide make its conclusion feel all the more earned. The lack of dialogue works in this picture's favour as we're forced to focus on its slapstick humour, rising stakes, and clear-cut character motivation. As is appropriate for the Australian outback, there's no sob-story about a lost parent or a search for a new life, it's simply; 'don't die'. This realistic take on the animal kingdom is nothing new (it's been the Roadrunner's MO for years), but it is a refreshingly simple goal that lends itself to an eight minute short. That's not to say that the grunts and tweets of David P. Smith and the undisputed king of strange animal noises Dee Bradley Baker aren't effective. Their input does much to humanise our protagonists and Smith in particular adds a frantic urgency that gives the bilby immediate and likeable character. This of course is supported by stellar animation, which captures the detail of both creatures down to the last hair, while still making them distinctly cartoonish. The gull baby will likely give Baby Yoda a run for his money with its 'aww inspiring' cuteness. Bilby captures the heart of the outback well with a fantastic mise-en-scéne that emphasises block colours and makes every frame pop. The montage of the different desert threats in particular allows the animators to create varied and bright environments, even if they're shown for a mere split second. Much like the sometimes gritty script, the landscape is unashamedly harsh, creating an environment of real danger for our tiny leads. Things won't get too scary for the kids though, thanks to the derpy cartoon eyes drawn onto every snake and scorpion. Benjamin Wallfisch's exceptional score does much to help craft this hazardous land of doom. The use of traditional Australian instruments during the film's former half sets the scene and creates an immediately intense atmosphere. As the film progresses, Wallfisch's score descends into more traditional heartwarming animated leitmotifs, but these too are excellent. There are shades of the phenomenal How to Train Your Dragon both visually and musically, particularly as the bibly is lifted up by a natural air current in a staggering set-piece. If there is one element that distracts, it is the director's unfortunate penchant for the occasional zoom shot, particularly during tense chase sequences. This modern blockbuster trope feels strange and out of place in this delightful short, though it's a minor issue. This nitpick does nothing to detract from how excellent Bilby is. Like its protagonist during its climactic scene, the film soars and is a stellar example of how to make a self-contained short film. It's simple, it's charming, it's endearing; it's everything you could want from such a film. Look out Pixar, there's a new sheriff in town and he's an adorable little fella with big blue ears. #NathanialEker

★★★ Directed by #AlejandroMontiel Written by #AlejandroMontiel Starring #LuisanaLopilato, #JoaquínFurriel, #RafaelFerro Film Review by Lawrence Bennie “Maybe after so many years of catching them, he became one?”. Such is the mystery in Alejandro Montiel’s double-edged thriller, Intuition. A follow-up to Perdida (2018), writer-director Montiel recalls Clint Eastwood’s Tightrope (1984) with his dark tale of a policeman who may also be responsible for murder. Rookie cop Manuela ‘Pipa’ Pelari (Luisana Lopilato) teams with unorthodox detective Francisco Juánez (Joaquin Furriel) to investigate the brutal murder of a 19-year-old girl. As the investigation begins, news breaks out of another murder; the death of the teenager who killed Juánez's wife. With Juánez the prime suspect, Pipa finds herself at the centre of two mysterious crimes when she is assigned to spy on her new partner. Cool and convincing as the Scully-esque Pipa, Lopilato’s dynamic with Furriel makes for an intriguing guessing-game. Like Pipa, we’re equally suspicious at times of Juánez, other times more sympathetic towards his innocence. Throughout, we and the character are constantly jolted back and forth over the truth. “Since his wife was killed, he hasn’t been the same”, Pipa is told by her boss. Another colleague remarks that Juánez went insane following his wife's death. Nothing is clear and nothing is certain. As Juánez, Furriel looks almost possessed as the typically more experienced but troubled detective; he saunters through the film like a concoction of a noir anti-hero and Captain Black. It’s a clichéd role for sure but Furriel sells it with an understated air of danger and enigma. Undoubtedly, the most striking characteristic of Montiel’s film is its atmosphere. Despite the clichés in characterisation, the director largely avoids overblown action and explosive set-pieces. Instead, we’re kept in a dark world of secrets and intrigue. The focus is the investigation. It’s an effective aesthetic; we’re kept feeling throughout that something isn’t right and Montiel does admirably in sustaining the tension from beginning to end. Elsewhere, some of the film’s narrative is more haphazard. Montiel opens with a pre-credits sequence, involving another murderous crime, the implications of which never resurface despite our expectations. This triple-crime opening is jarringly confusing, and one can only speculate that Montiel’s opening may be a plant for the next entry in the series. Most bizarrely, Montiel later has an incarcerated patient, also a suspect, escape from a mental hospital with laughable ease. It’s a notably sloppy moment in an otherwise carefully controlled plot which moves hastily, despite the lack of action. Fans of high-octane action-thrillers probably won’t click with Intuition. Those partial to more intelligent mysteries may find more appeal in the film's atmosphere, understated performances and quick pace. It's an intriguing mystery at least. #LawrenceBennie

★★★★ Directed by: #JérômeBlanquet Written by: #YannApperry, #JérômeBlanquet Starring: #BillSkarsgård, #PomKlementieff, #LizzieBrocheré, #AmiraCasar Film Review by: Darren Tilby Although I’ve often seen it heralded as the future of filmmaking, virtual reality cinema isn’t something I’ve ever given much credence to, despite a begrudging curiosity. So it was really exciting for me to have the opportunity to delve into Alteration, the 2017 20-minute short film by Yann Apperry and Jérôme Blanquet—and my first cinematic VR experience! Alexandro (Bill Skarsgård) has volunteered for an experiment run by a Dr March (Amira Casar) – controversial research into the possibility of dream recording – to get money for his pregnant girlfriend, Nadia (Lizzie Brocheré). But what should have been a straightforward affair soon becomes a terrifying prognostication of an artificial intelligence’s evolutionary capabilities. As rogue AI, Elsa (Pom Klementieff), begins a contemplation on humanity through the data mining of Alexandro’s memories, resulting in its corruption. From the first scene she appears in, Klementieff is a tour de force; an unnerving presence with an unassuming bearing yet sinister aura. She enthralled me; she terrified me, quite frankly—she blew me away. While no-one else quite had the same on-screen presence, their performances are incredibly solid: Skarsgård puts in a good showing as our lead and Brocheré as his caring partner feels warm and comforting. Casar (as Dr March) however, remains a mystery, due, in part, to her enigmatic performance and the film’s superb character writing. We input all kinds of private data into our computers and phones through the likes of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram without giving it so much as a second thought. It’s become the norm. Alteration is a cautionary tale of this; of our over-confidence in sharing personal information with ever-increasingly intelligent AI. But perhaps more than that, it’s a contemplation on humanity itself. The whole thing has an Ex Machina quality to it which works incredibly well here. Being my first VR movie, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I have to say, I was quite pleasantly surprised. The film looks really lovely and, in general, I felt the VR worked well; adding a level of immersion we might not otherwise have got. However, the VR element can also cause the viewer to miss critical visual happenings, as we look everywhere except where we’re supposed to. Although, I’m happy to admit this may have just been me. All in all, I enjoyed my time trapped in the world of Alteration. There’s a – very haunting – supposed vision of our future here, wrapped up in the supposed future of filmmaking. And while I’m still not convinced that VR is the future (almost everything I enjoyed here was more traditional things), there’s something very pleasing about that.

★★ Directed by #TylerSpindel Written by #ChrisPappas & #KevinBarnett Starring #DavidSpade, #LaurenLapkus, #MollySims Film Review by Amber Jackson 'The Wrong Missy' is all kinds of wrong, with a predictable script and aggressively crude dialogue. The storyline encircles protagonist Tim (David Spade), who is hung up on his ex-fiancée and continuously playing his life safe and limiting his fun. Then, he meets Melissa (Molly Sims) on a chance encounter at the airport and they are an instant match – with their chemistry almost too good to be true. However, disaster strikes when he plans to go on his work retreat to Hawaii and texts the girl of his dreams to join him… but he texts the wrong girl and instead ends up with ex-horrific blind date, Missy (Lauren Lapkus). The result of this get-together is­ absolute chaos ensuing for ninety minutes of hilarious poolside horror. The Wrong Missy feels like Adam Sandler is missing from his own film, acting as though it was meant to be released in the 2000s, but was accidentally lost for fifteen years. This immediately makes sense when you learn that it is indeed made by Adam Sandler’s production company, Happy Madison Productions. Suffice to say, this film takes Adam Sandler films to the next level and allows David Spade to take the protagonist role. However, the result is underwhelming. Tim’s character tries to be anything except vanilla and fails, leaving him with a personality lacking in depth and some confusion over why most other characters, men and women alike, seem to be besotted by him. The overall feeling, from audiences and critics alike, is that Missy deserves better. She is completely crazy by nature, which allows actor Lauren Lapkus to completely steal the film away with her characterisation. Her comedic acting, coupled with her shocking actions and over-the-top reactions to the world around her leaves you instantly hooked to her personality. Her taste for adventure and over-enthusiastic streak dramatically contrasts and outshines Tim’s dry and boring personality, which is cemented further by their age gap. The film is funny for the most part, but does go a little too far in places, again making you wonder if it would have been better received in the 2000s. There are some minor issues with how women are presented, particularly as is the case with Missy’s character, as there are moments where you’re not sure if you should laugh or scream. But overall no gender was necessarily presented worse over the other – every single character ended up being unlikeable, which only added to the humour of watching. Ultimately, it rings true that the takeaway of the film is about being more carefree and not being afraid to say yes to potentially challenging situations in life. Missy tries and partly succeeds in bringing Tim out of his shell and allows him to step away from always opting for the safe and easy option. Yet, there is not much else. The writing is fairly surface-level, with no real take-away except discomfort and a stomach ache from laughing at Missy’s various antics throughout the film. It’s clear that Netflix is reviving the noughties vibe during lockdown, with a ninety-minute film length and a sense of humour that harks back to a genre in film that used to dominate the screen. This is a silly watch and is by no means unproblematic, but its humour has a flair of nostalgia of films global audiences used to enjoy ten/fifteen years ago. And as for Lauren Lapkus, let's hope she gets the acting credit that she deserves. #AmberJackson #Netflix

Star Rating: ⭑⭑⭑⭑ Directed by: #MichaelJGoldberg Written by: #MichaelJGoldberg Starring: #AlexAnfanger, #KierstenArmstrong, #DavidBatchelor, #MikeFerguson, #LeahHenoch, #MarkKrenik, #CaitlinMcGee, #CharleyRossman, #AaronSchroeder, #PaulSeroka, #PatrickWoodall, #DavidCohen Short Film Review by: Thomas Jay Written, Directed and Edited by Michael J. Goldberg, Egg is the Uber glamorous tale of how a single egg overcame tragedy to eventually make its way onto the table from its humble farmland beginnings. Opening with Jeff (Alex Anfanger) suffering through a date with Alana (Leah Henoch) our protagonist, or “protagonist of sorts” to give him a more fitting title, begins to fantasies about the journey this egg has taken as he fears the food is potential set to go to waste. As his mind wanders from Alana’s incessant ramblings, the fun begins. Crashing into the clump of egg and evoking CGI sequence of the DNA structure that resembles the title sequences from the early 2000s X-Men films, we‘re transported to Pete’s farm who begins on his journey to distribute his freshest batch of eggs to his waiting customers. Pete’s (Patrick Woodall) journey montage again pays reference to classic Hollywood films of old with a travelling map line best seen in the Indiana Jones films where he’s eventually held up by two goons of Charlie (Aaron Schroeder). With Charlie being owed by the lowly Pete, the suavely dressed Schroeder orders the execution of his stock which the goons set about completing. Distraught, Pete just manages to break from his screams to save the last surviving egg and sets him off on a new life. Hitching a ride off a young woman who he clearly makes an impression on, Egg channels his inner Patrick Swayze taking up a position in a bar (a la Roadhouse) and sets himself up in a new life. Still, after settling down and being wedded to Julia (Caitlin McGee) the past manages to catch up with him and Charlie completed his revenge, murdering the egg batch entirely...or so it seems. Suddenly cutting back to Jeff who‘s spooked by the sudden presence of a salad, Alana bails from the date and reveals her true identity which happens to be the well travelled foodstuff. I’m a further twist that reveals Jeff and Charlie to be brothers, a move I can only imagine being a reference to Breaking Bad the restaurant which makes for the films majority setting, makes them out to be ‘The Egg Brothers’ who’ve reinvented how food is consumed. The one that got away and the films true hero is reunited with his wife and Pete, escaping as Jeff scratches his head. Funnily enough a position I ended up in. The short is undoubtedly funny but this sense of confusion seems to be more dominant in my thoughts on this piece. It’s plot is very, very bloated and parts conflict but the humour balances it out. Now it’s something I can forgive as the other elements are enjoyable on their own but it’s something to certainly bare in mind, it’s not so much a narrative short just one that’ll have you in hysterics. Furthermore the references might to an extent be slightly detrimental, as it tries to rock off boxes of conventions it can replicate and references to do, which are enjoyable but the mass amount does mean the plot has to slightly be sacrificed. A short that’ll be guaranteed to crack you up (fully intended that one) which is also extremely well made, Egg is a hilarious 11 minute short film and one you shouldn’t miss. Put forth for the Tribeca festival and now part of the online ‘We are One’ festival, catch it on Youtube while you can! Reviewed: #TomJay

★★★★ Written & Directed By: #VasilisKekatos Starring: #IokoIoannisKotidis #NikosZeginoglou Short Film Review by: #ChrisBuick Somewhere, some distance outside of Athens, two strangers cross paths at an old gas station. One of the gentlemen is simply looking to refuel his motorcycle and be on his way, the other however, is stranded and is looking to procure the €22.50 that he needs to get a bus back to the Greek capital. After engaging the biker just as he is about to leave, he begins a series of unique and interesting propositions which escalate fantastically as the two begin to negotiate, at first for the money, but eventually for something much more. Winner of the Short Film Palme d’Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival (writer/director Vasilis Kekatos also became the first Greek filmmaker to win an award in this category) as well as many other prestigious accolades, The Distance Between Us and the Sky is a shining example of simple yet elegant filmmaking. One of if not the most striking things about this #shortfilm is its duality. It's a constant moving target from beginning to end, playing between the lines of an erotically charged meet cute and dangerously tense confrontation. It never really commits to either, which is a small shame as the culmination of the piece might feel a little underwhelming for some, but it’s this sense of perpetual ambiguity that manages to keep our attentions firmly for the duration. This double-sided nature echoes through the performances of each of our actors as well, which doesn’t just accentuate the films exciting sense of uncertainty, but also showcases the wonderful talent on display. A two-hander in its barest form, Kekatos opts to frame the exchange between our two strangers so intimately that there is nothing to take away from the raw chemistry and sexual tension mixed with a strong element of fear that practically oozes from the screen from our two leads. Their negotiations, starting as some strange power struggle with both taking turns to push each other onto the back foot, soon become this entrancing dance of increasing intimacy where it suddenly appears evident that at some point this stopped being about the money. Zeginoglou perhaps walks in the dominant shoes more than his counterpart Kotidis, but both are equally comfortable in them. However, the two performances seem most in harmony when Zeginoglou, who is always enigmatic as much as he is charismatic, is the one being effortlessly beguiling and has Kotidis eating from the palm of his hand. The Distance Between Us and The Sky showcases a filmmaker with a razor-sharp eye for visuals and storytelling in what is a somewhat personal experience for Kekatos, not to mention two performances that really bring this beautiful metaphor to life. While some may somewhat lament its unresolved ambiguity, it’s open-endedness is also the very essence of what makes this great short so captivating. The Distance Between Us and the Sky is now streaming on YouTube as part of the We Are One online film festival. #ChrisBuick Watch the trailer here:

★★★★ Written and Directed by #BrittLover Starring #BrittLover, #PhilipSmithey, #JessMarks Film Review by Amber Jackson “I can be wild too” Circus Person is an exposition of what it means to go through a break-up, but with a narrative that is much deeper underneath the surface. The seventeen-minute piece features Ava (Britt Lover), who becomes fascinated by the woman who her partner cheated on her with. Luna (Jess Marks) appears to be talented and bewitching and Ava can’t help but obsess about her. As a result, she decides to join a circus and discovers far more about herself than she previously dared consider. This is a fascinating, clever and individual perspective on the effects of a break-up. Writer and director Britt Lover frames the short story like a spoken letter to Luna, which ultimately becomes a personal monologue of self-recognition for Ava, acting a journey to liberation. Intimacy is an ironic centre-piece to the tone of the film, despite Ava being newly single. Camera shots invite the audience to gaze at her, watching her character feel completely exposed and experience a new vulnerability. The film effectively physicalises emotion, creating a very visual storyline. Scenes where she is lying in water, staring ahead, feel intrusive to watch as she is experiencing a private life-defining moment. Consistent circular imagery couples the monologue well, inviting metaphors to dominate the screen. It feels as though Ava is reclaiming a narrative for herself and this imagery defines that growing sense of liberation that she is experiencing. This also rings true with the consistent use of body paint during the film, as the bright colours of the paint, combined with the stop-motion effects adds an element of surreal. There are jarring laugh-out-loud moments that brutally contrast with moments of deep feeling, all contributing to the very human experience that Ava is going through. She joins the circus to perhaps feel something and to continue the film’s motif of wanting to be bold. The viewer can’t help but feel as though she is trying to prove to Luna, in her own private way, that she’s just as good as her and doesn’t need to compare herself to her. This is an interesting commentary on women experiencing heartbreak with copious depth and intelligence behind the camera as well as in front of it. Whilst she is haunted by Luna for taking something meaningful away from her, Ava also credits her for allowing her to recognise her desire to feel free. The proximity between the two women always feels close, even though they have supposedly never met, but there is a shared intimacy there that the script taps into that is incredibly thought-provoking. Heartbreak has allowed Ava to open her heart to herself and Circus Person is her journey to understanding and accepting that life continues after heartbreak. This self-reflection deeply resonates with audiences who can relate to the knowledge that it is important to self-love. Circus Person is now streaming on YouTube as part of the We Are One online film festival. #AmberJackson #WeAreOne