Adelaide

Dir. Liliana Greenfield-Sanders
Starring: Anna Margaret Hollyman, Hank Harris, Damian Young
USA, 2008, 13 mins.

In this charming short by Liliana Greenfield-Sanders, a young woman named Adelaide, who seeks attention and gets her thrills from faking illnesses, falls for her pharmacist. The title character is played by Anna Margaret Hollyman, who portrays Adelaide’s quirks and neurosis with great humor.

Expiration

Dir. Mark Nickelsburg
Starring: Scott Michael Morales
USA, 2009, 4 mins.

While director Mark Nickelsburg’s short is only four minutes in length, it is not without heightened suspense, melodrama, and dark humor. Expiration plays on our feelings of fear, repulsion and impending doom when consuming something, in this case, milk, past the stamped expiration date in this funny and sharp short.

The Greims

Dir. Peter Bolte
Starring: Wes Bentley, Marlene Morreis, Francesco Saviano, Richard Edson
USA, 2009, 14 mins.

Sibling rivalry is at the centre of director Peter Bolte’s new comedic short. Two estranged brothers, played by Wes Bentley and Francesco Saviano, are left with the task of fulfilling their mother’s final wish on the passing of her cat, Gordon Lightfoot. Bolte’s script is wry and witty, and perfectly captures an awkward family exchange.

Hunger

Dir. Stephen Johnson
Starring: Daniel Betts, Nadia Cameron-Blakey
U.K., 2008, 15 mins.

In the only thriller of the shorts program, director Stephen Johnson takes his audience on a twisted tale through the night in a European city. A foreign businessman falls prey to a bewitching but dangerous woman in a violent tale of cat and mouse. The quick pace of the film builds anticipation as the businessman and the audience both wait for the safety that comes with daybreak.

Love Child

Dir. Daniel Wirtberg
Starring: Tindra Nordgren, Magnus Krepper, Cecilie Nerfont Thorgersen
Sweden, 2009, 7 mins.

An angelic-looking child vies for her parents’ attention in Daniel Wirtberg’s sweet and funny short about family. When a kitten is brought home as the new family pet, the only child feels a surge of sibling rivalry as her parents draw their attention to the animal and seemingly forget about her. This short is endearing and well-acted, and the plot cumulates into an especially funny, unexpected ending.

A Penny For…

Dir. Eric Wobma
Starring: Daniel Boissevain, Sofie Knijff
Netherlands, 2008, 9 mins.

Director Eric Womba places his lens on a seemingly jovial beggar as he wanders the streets of Amsterdam asking for change and trying to figure out what day it is. Shot by one camera in real time, this short is both a beautiful city tour and a study on being content.

Strike

Dir. Herbey Wagner
Starring: Laurie Beaver, Mungo McKay, Dythea Marais, Chris Turner, Matt Grehan, Joe Bauer
Australia, 2008, 8 mins.

In this charming, coming-of-age tale, a boy hopes to score his first strike at the local bowling alley as well as win the heart of the girl he longs for. When he is given a box of matches with magical properties, he finds that he’s able to do more than just score a strike. Director Herby Wagner’s short film is lightheartedly entertaining, reminding the audience of all our teenaged dreams.

The Tangent

Dir. Vincent Vesco
Starring: Grappin Sarah, Aurélien Wiik
France, 2008, 13 mins.

A young man picks up a young female hitchhiker, and thus begins a story of the freedom and romance they find on the open road. The couple lives with spontaneity and rebellious freedom until they are faced with a difficult decision. Director Vincent Vesco captures the escapist’s fantasy in a film that most literally defines a “little trip.”

warZone

Dir. Saul Herckis
Starring: Saul Herckis, Craig Sawyer, Grandison M. Phelps IV, Jessica Ashley Perrault, Brian Tracey, Jeff Wang, Andre Robichaud
USA, 2008, 5 mins.

In this rather cheesy expression of a soldier’s longing for a loved one during war, director Saul Herckis attempts to make poetry out of film (or maybe film out of poetry, I’m not sure) with his slightly shallow love story between a presumably modern-day American soldier and his girlfriend. The music combined with the special effects proved to be a little overboard for this 5 minute short.

Welgunzer

Dir. Bradford Schmidt
Starring: Gary Colón
USA, 2009, 14 mins.

In Welgunzer, a man, played by Gary Colón, builds a time machine in his bathtub in order to travel to the future to murder himself. However, his great scheme goes awry when unwelcomed clones of himself pop up to intervene. Director Bradford Schmidt’s tale is funny and charming, and Colón’s comedic performance is outstanding.

Well-Founded Concerns

Dir. Timothy Cawley
Starring: John Hart, Cindy Lentol
USA, 2008, 15 mins.

John Hart plays a painstaking germophobe in Well-Founded Concerns. Living alone in his sterilized apartment, his life is thrown into a state of panic when a deadly epidemic strikes. Timothy Cawley’s script is funny, neurotic, and smart.