The Nashville Film Festival has arrived, and over the next week, I will be covering the festival and all of the films that I watch. From Short films to Documentaries to Featured Films and more, the festival is filled, with movies that range from all sorts of genres.
Narrative Shorts Program 3: This is a list of short films that the Festival bundles together for you to watch.
Sloan Hearts Neckface
An anonymous, anarchic graffiti artist (Raul Castillo) unexpectedly falls in love with a fan (Clara Mamet) but can’t be with her until he reveals his true identity.
Sloan Hearts Neckface was an artsy story told well, but otherwise, it was a forgettable short.
Goodbye Golovin
For Ian Golovin, the death of his father is the chance at a new life outside his native country. As he prepares to leave and bid farewell to his sister, he is forced to face his decision — why he is always blindly moving forward and what he is leaving behind.
Often in film, a loss is represented as something that can be bad, which is often true, but the writer/director paints this portrait of how death is giving Ian life.
I loved Oleksand Rudinskiy in the role of Ian, and the one thing that stood out the most was his body language. It’s one thing to be able to sell me with your words and show it within your demeanor is a highlight of a good actor.
Grimard’s Goodbye Golovin is a beautiful portrait of how we can turn a loss into life.
Zoo
A misunderstanding between three lawless boys and a troubled man escalates to a point of no return.
One of the director’s jobs is to make us feel a connection to our characters, and this short was lacking that 100%. I understand what our characters were going through, but I never felt personally connected to the story that was transpiring throughout the movie.
The cinematography is top-notch, but outside of that, the lows outweigh the highs for me.
Kama’Aina
I would say this felt like a documentary and not a short narrative film. It felt more of an informative short than it did as a film as a whole. Malia Soon was great in this, but overall just wasn’t feeling this at all.
The Comedown
I want to rant and rave about how outstanding the cinematography was in this short. Stefan Weinberger did an excellent job of taking the vibe from the drugs and showcasing the color palette to go along with it. I just was in awe of the majestic looking colors throughout the short.
Other than that, the short was just okay, and it didn’t turn any heads. The script felt lackluster, our characters were bland, and only was invested because of the cinematography.
Union County
Cody is a recovering opiate addict in rural Ohio, 45 days clean and enlisted in a strictly enforced drug court program through the county government. Local sober living facilities are full, so Cody is living on the outskirts of town and working at the nearby lumber factory to save money and keep busy.
Addiction is serious, and we do not take it seriously enough in society. Zachary Zamsky breaks down the barrier of a stunning performance in the role of Cody. I felt the emotions that ran through his body, which enhances the short.
A poetic short shares the message that we should help those who are seeking help.
Beauty Boys
In a small village, Leo, 17 years-old, has a strong taste for make-up. His big brother, Jules, who fears to be laughed at, stands against this passion. On the night of the open stage, Leo shows up in full drag…
Treat others how you want to be treated, PERIOD. Beautiful short, with outstanding hair and makeup and wonderful cinematography.
Jacob is a film critic and co-founder of the Music City Drive-In. He is a member of the Music City Film Critics’ Association and specializes in the awards season. You can find him on Twitter @Tberry57.
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