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.
Graveyard Shift: This is a list of short films that the Festival bundles together for you to watch.
Overkill
“OverKill” is a comedic take on a familiar slasher setup: when too-woke-for-their-own-good college kids are terrorized by an unstoppable masked killer, the final girl must outsmart him to survive.
An extremely campy slasher style short that started a little slow but picked it up towards the end. The thing that works the most for this short is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is essential.
The horror-like soundtrack to go along with the short made it feel a little extra special. The ending bonus was a way to make fun of the 98 million ways to kill the villain.
Sleep Tight
Remember that weird stage growing up where you’re too old to be a kid but too young to be an adult? Well, this is where fifteen-year-old Josh is at right now.
The screenplay was tight and nicely written, and the execution was actually here as well but just got held back by bad acting. It was that missing piece to make this something special. Outside of that not a bad little short.
The Visit (US)
What a difference a few weeks can make. After going through some new “changes,” Katie has a lot more confidence, but that self improvement has come at a price.
Short, sweet, and to the point. For 3 minutes, I was entertained.
BLOW OUT
A woman finds a seemingly innocent balloon outside her front door. She brings it inside. Things get weird.
Blow Out is quirky, random, different, all the things that I love about filmmaking. The cinematography was gorgeous.
I never thought a Balloon and an Actress could entertain me: Daniel David Stewart, job well done, sir.
Sins of a Werewolf
When a seasoned parish priest is bitten by a mysterious animal, he begins transforming into a werewolf every full moon.
While I enjoyed Sins of a Werewolf for the pure comedic approach it had and the exciting twist that they provided us, the script was all over the place, and they never had a set plan to attack from start to finish.
Also, this was a short where I saw a man get his penis bitten off by a werewolf that also had Jesus undertones to it.
Backward Creep
A group of cosplayers think that they’ve run over an innocent bystander while taking a shortcut to an anime convention.
I just, no. Just no.
Weekend
Moniri and Kheradmand family are in park for a picnic. But after finishing their meal, it is revealed that they are here for something else.
The build of this short seemed weird as you are sitting there watching this family at a picnic. The transition within the camera work and the background words, you slowly start to see what they are building too.
Ario Motevaghe truly captivates you in the mystery of what is to come in this weird way I am not sure I have seen before in film.
Love Begins With M
A man recites a poem about something he really loves way too much.
A very short, short, and while I do not like the thing this poem is about, I will admit, I laughed.
Deerly Beloved
A midsummer night gone awry.
Bright, beautiful and strange, exactly what I believe they were going for.
That Old Misery
That Old Misery is a post-technology folk horror tale that explores themes of human isolation, climate catastrophe, and viral disease through the lens of desperation and psychosexual madness.
Next.
The Horror Compendium
A selection of short horror films
Creative, yes.
Good, no.
Regarde ce que tu as fait! (Look what you have done!)
Jacob, who finds himself confronted with his heinous deeds. While Kendra, a psychologist, tries to make him aware of his actions, Jacob denies his responsibility and claims his innocence.
Regarde ce que tu as fait! had the feel of a big-time movie, which has been different from many of the shorts I have watched throughout this festival.
Overall, this clicked on all cylinders, starting with Nadine Gobet and Ludovic Dreyfuss acting, who gave two fantastic performances. The editing, the cinematography, the sounds, the score, it was just an excellent short.
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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