<h1>Darrel Manson</h1>

Darrel Manson

Posts by Darrel Manson:

Paradise Is Burning: Not so perfect freedom

Paradise Is Burning: Not so perfect freedom

Paradise Is Burning, from director Mika Gustafson,seems to be a story of youth and freedom, but is this really freedom? It is a coming-of-age story, but the passages that it marks have less to do with adulthood than with survival. Three sisters, Laura (16), Mira (12),...

HollyShorts Film Festival 2024: Animation

HollyShorts Film Festival 2024: Animation

Time to dip into some more of the animation at HollyShorts Film Festival. Area 52 (4 minutes, US, directed by Emily Dubovi) takes place in a lesser known scientific site. While great minds try to solve mysteries of the universe in Area 51, less than stellar minds are...

HollyShorts Film Festival 2024: Comedy

HollyShorts Film Festival 2024: Comedy

Like all film festivals, HollyShorts can be a little dark at times, so it’s time to take in some comedy. Libbi’s Trying (10 minutes, US, directed by Andrew Carter). Libbi is a struggling actor and single mom. She’s tries to negotiates with her ex to be able to use...

HollyShorts 2024: Social Impact

HollyShorts 2024: Social Impact

Films clearly have the ability to point to important ideas. Among the films at HollyShorts Film Festival are some that aim to have “Social Impact”. These are stories that ask us to see things that may need changing—or perhaps just inviting us to care. What We Wished...

HollyShorts Film Festival – Docs and sports

HollyShorts Film Festival – Docs and sports

HollyShorts Film Festival has plenty of documentaries. Today I look at some from the documentary section, and from a new section they have this year: Sports (which are also docs). Whitney Houston in Focus (34 minutes, US, directed by Benjamin Alfonsi) is pretty much...

Hollyshorts Film Festival: Golden Age

Hollyshorts Film Festival: Golden Age

Among the films at HollyShorts Film Festival are some that deal with what they call “Golden Age”—about the later years of life. Since I qualify for inclusion in that demographic, it seems like I should watch some of these films. Jellyfish and Lobster (20 minutes, UK,...

HollyShorts Film Fesival 2024 – Romcoms

HollyShorts Film Fesival 2024 – Romcoms

The Hollyshorts program for rom-coms is about relationships more than romance, but that works out fine for short films. Some of the films in this section were films that were by or about people with disabilities. Audio Description (5 minutes, US, directed by Luke J....

In the Rearview: Escape from war

In the Rearview: Escape from war

Since the war began, more than 15 million Ukrainians have left their country seeking safety. In the Rearview is a documentary that takes place mostly inside a van filled with various people on their journey to an unknown future. When the war started and many people...

Red Island: Childhood’s end

Red Island: Childhood’s end

When does childhood end? At adolescence? When we reach legal age? Of course, it’s not really a sudden shift so much as a process over a period of time. Red Island, directed by Robert Campillo, looks at the question in a semi-autobiographical reflection. A child begins...