Wisconsin Film Fest Part 4

SHORT FILMS

After Silent Light there was another screening of 4 short films in the same theater. These were all great little slices of interesting fun, under the umbrella of the very broad theme of relationship. Film-makers of two of the short films were there to answer questions after the screenings.

Audience Award Winner –

Great for two reasons, it captures the odd dynamic between urban couples my age, and the subset among those couples that’s characterized by the smoking hot lady and the rather dishelved, unshaven, but assuredly awesome long-haired guy. It’s also filmed all around Wicker Park in Chicago, including actual intersections I’ve walked on many times! My big regret is that I was too shy to ask the filmmakers during the Q+A about what theater the final scene was filmed in. I would have sounded so urban and hip among the Madison crowd if I asked that question.

A Song Without a Name –

A calm simple film with improvised dialogue, that takes place over an overnight camping trip / first date. It’s deceptively straightforward as you smile at the warm-hearted innocence of the scenes, all the while as you toss ideas in the back of your head about how these two have anything possible in common to make something long-term work.

Una Y Otra Vez –

The least interesting of the four films, kind of a standard relationship drama, abridged for the short film format. Set among the Mexican immigrant community, though, it does have some unique cultural and structural twists.

The Last Page –

Of the many shorts programs offered, I chose this one because of the kudos in the festival guide that this final film was one of the most hilarious short film offerings of the festival. Definitely a huge crowd-pleaser, as a character fighting writer’s block runs into a bunch of slapstick mishaps, before his understanding girlfriend rescues him.

The most enlightening thing about this screening is it planted a small seed in my mind that filmmaking was actually accessible to a wide range of people. I doubt that making these movies is something affordable that doesn't require financial sacrifice and commitments of oodles of time beyond a required full-time job, but all of these movies take simple ideas and add some unique twists and produce accessible bite-sized art. I doubt that the believability of these characters could be sustained over a full-length movie, but 15-20 minutes works really well to capture a little authenticity in the human experience.