3 Shorts reviewed on the 36th World Film Festival

 

3 courts-métrages dans le cadre du 36ème Festival des Films du Monde 2012

                                   written by / écrit par Nancy Snipper

 The World Film Festival features an astounding number of short films, some of which are good, some to pass up purposely.

The following films are rather good.

The Little Cloud, directed by Renee George is a black and white delight that could be anyone’s fantasy. Set in Paris, a lovely young woman takes an outdoor seat at a café. An equally delicious-looking young man sits across form her. The waiter brings him a cup of coffee, as he has the lady. The coffee cup tilts and we expect coffee to spill out. But it is empty. Rather fetching to see, it sets up the humour about to ensue. The young man has no sugar, and the woman offers her hers almost at the moment he moves to sit at her table. Soon they are grasping hands and floating over the Paris horizon in the clouds, dog and waiter joining them on their own clouds - but for a moment. The couple make love in the clouds, only to end up back down on earth – the woman barely dressed and the man too. Their garments are on the sidewalk. They are unable to see one another for they have landed at different spots. An enormous staircase is split and joined at the front of a building. It beckons the woman to ascend on the right, the man to the left, and like the stairway to heaven, they meet, and end up in one another’s arms. Off they go together, fully clothed as they were before and fully in love. The film is eight minutes long. The first time I saw it, I thought it trite. The second time, I adored it. Maybe it wasn’t love at first sight for me, so it goes to show give everything a second chance – love included!

My Uncle Terry, directed by Paula McGlynn is a curious film about a young girl who sets out to find out why her Uncle Terry left the family some 22 years ago, never to be seen or heard from again. Terry has consented to her filming the interview.

He is living on a lake near Vancouver with nobody around. In fact, he is preparing for the ‘outbreak’. It becomes apparent his sweet little face and boyish smile does not match his sinister behaviour. He has stocked up on weapons and is totally self-sufficient in his cabin on the lake. His niece asks him personal questions, but Uncle Terry doesn’t like such intrusions. His attitude changes from passable friendliness to hostility. He points his unloaded gun at her. He begins laughing as she halts the filming, and flees.
One year later, she returns. He has bought her a bicycle. He knows she can’t ride, but gets her on the seat, and as she begins pedalling, he lets go. Off camera, you hear a small crash. Obviously, she wasn’t ready to ride, and he knew that. The film seems like a documentary, but is in fact fiction, though Paula and Terry play themselves. Let’s hope that in reality, her Uncle Terry is a far nicer guy.

Glue, directed by Michal Lavi puts a husband and wife in a precarious position literally and physically. The wife suspects her husband, Tom is having an affair. As he takes leave of his wife in the morning, he goes into his car and pulls out his cell to talk to ‘Kitten”, his sexier secret half. He decides to cancel his tryst with her for the evening; he will come home after work. Upon entering the house, he can’t find his wife. She is upstairs hanging from the ceiling. Tom is very upset. He piles a stack of books to stand on in order to reach her with the hope of ‘un-sticking’ her. She does look rather inviting in her negligee hanging upside down. He kisses her on the lips, but clever girl – she has put glue on them, so Tom is now stuck to her in a true lip lock!  The books have slipped out from under his feet which now seem to be raised in flight off the floor.

A great way to hold your man, and ensure your marriage sticks!