Here are a few more shorts from the Slamdance Film Festival. These come from three different sections, and include some of the award winning shorts. Good Grief (11 minutes, directed by Rob Sharp). The terrible grief of the loss of a child is portrayed through four mothers. The grief becomes symbolized as both darkness and…
?The most powerful words in English are ‘Tell me a story,’ words that are intimately related to the complexity of history, the origins of language, the continuity of the species, the taproot of our humanity, our singularity, and art itself.? Phil Wall?s documentary The Book Keepers opens with a title card of the Pat Conroy…
In?The Starling, Lilly (Melissa McCarthy) and Jack (Chris O?Dowd) are a couple who have been shattered by tragedy. A year after their infant daughter has passed away, their grief has driven them apart. While Jack is recovering in a psychiatric clinic, Lilly tries to maintain her job in a local grocery store and keep their…
The teen years can be a challenge. It is a time when people struggle with their identity and their place in the world. Even for the most ?normal? of teens, these years can be a struggle. Add to that having to deal with a disability. In Matthew Ogens?s documentary short Audible, we meet a young…
[Caution: This post contains spoilers for Episodes 5 & 6 of?WandaVision.] Grief is a strange thing. Whenever we lose someone that we love, our feelings can fly all over the place. Misplaced anger, sadness, relief or even joy can come at us in waves without prompting. We can fight with ourselves in disbelief or simply…
?Why are you helping me?? ?You were in my path.? Surviving may be all that someone can handle at times. It?s not just a matter of physical survival, but can require surviving the kind of pain and sorrow that seeks to kill one?s soul and spirit. In Land, the directorial debut of Robin Wright, a…
?Long ago, the world was full of wonder. It was adventurous, exciting and best of all, there was magic. And that magic helped all in need. But it wasn?t easy to master. And so the world found a simpler way to get by. Over time, magic faded away?.? Disney/Pixar?s Onward is set in this world…
In Waves, from director Trey Edward Shults, a suburban African-American family faces struggle, then tragedy. Healing is surely needed, but in what power will they find it? Ronald (Sterling K. Brown) is a demanding and domineering father. He describes himself as ?the wise and noble father?. It is said lightheartedly, but we know it is…
Directed by Oscar-winner Damien Chazelle (La La Land), First Man?tells the story of one of the most iconic moments in history as it tracks NASA?s quest to be the first to put a man on the moon. Following the journey of Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling), the film explores the human side of the mission, without…
Scientists are often so committed to their respective projects that they are willing to sacrifice any and everything to make their goals happen.?
