Recensies van studenten Algemene Cultuurwetenschappen
Go Short werkte samen met studenten van Algemene Cultuurwetenschappen/ Arts and Cultures (Radboud Universiteit, Nijmegen). Een kleine groep studenten schrijft recensies over korte films in onze competities. Binnen de studie hebben de vier studenten Jonathan Zackor, Melanie Münninghoff, Jonathan Michal en Rosalie Blom films uit de competies hun eerlijke en professionele oordeel over gegeven. Laat je leiden door deze Cultuurwetenschappers en beoordeel of je het met ze eens bent op het festival.
De recensies zijn in het Engels, omdat enkele studenten geen Nederlands spreken.
The Parents’ Room door de ogen van Jonathan Zackor
Diego Marcon’s “The Parents’ Room” (the United Kingdom and Italy, 2021) is set in an eerie, strangely familiar space. After a human tragedy that led to the collapse and demise of an entire family, only the shells of the deceased family members are left and put on a show.
The short film’s story is simple but told in an incredibly beautiful manner. Not just by combining images of isolation, loneliness, and despair in a visually-intriguing environment but with a haunting, sorrowful musical sequence in which the former residents perform as human dolls. The desire for a happy ending permeates the film. Upon realizing that this is not and never will be possible; dread, desperation, and helplessness are spreading, which only adds to its appeal.
One is implicated in the tragedy and simply cannot look away (except to search for a tissue to covertly wipe away some tears).
Moune Ô door de ogen van Melanie Münninghoff
Maxime Jean-Baptiste’s creation ruptures the westernized narrative of colonialization. It asks us how we remember the past and who is affected by our representations of the past. There are always more parts to the same story. Jean-Baptiste goes beyond just retelling the same story. Instead he visualizes the experience in which his father played a part in , thus, makes this piece quite a personal matter. Moune Ô is not a re-telling of the film Jean Galmot, aventurier (1990). It feels much more like someone trying to recollect a memory that has been repressed through the deep pain of the past.
Agrilogistics door de ogen van Jonathan Michal
The main character in Gerard Ortín Castellví’s short film Agrilogistics is the machine. In a factory dedicated to processing various agricultural products they handle plants on conveyor belts and large halls. Humans solely play a supporting role. The camera only focuses on their actions, and they do not differ from the machine: they are mere instruments in the workflow.
Halfway through the film night dawns and the factory halts production. Calming sounds of nature replace the machine’s noise. In an almost dreamlike fashion, animals enter the factory’s premises and feast on the plants contained inside. Yet something doesn’t feel right. We see nature but it’s not ‘natural’. Artificial lighting illuminates the scenery, and the animals are caged.
Agrilogistics reflects on the various ways our world has changed through technological advancements. It discusses the state of humanity and nature which makes it as relevant as ever for us today.
Isn’t it a Beautiful World door de ogen van Rosalie Blom
Joseph Wilson’s “Isn’t it a beautiful world” depicts a universal feeling of grasping in the dark. Queer performers lip-sync to archival voice memos, from which the stories are then portrayed. Long shots are interspersed with short shots, alternated by abrupt cuts. Parallel to the swelling of the music, run the voice-overs and the images. And although the voice memos are of unknown origin, the queer performers in this film give them a new meaning. Wilson has used different types of media, but has managed to form them into a whole. This all makes for a film that grabs your attention from the first moment, and then refuses to let it go. It is transfixing and feels innovative – Wilson has managed to capture one of the many essences of queerness.