As there is only one movie left for me to cover in my look back over Dead By Dawn 2016 (I had to miss the last two features, with an import disc allowing me to see Men And Chicken just in time for this coverage) I thought that this would be a good place to quickly review the shorts. All of them.
The 2D & Deranged selection were as follows:
Alt-Tab - mad genius. My personal selection for the best animated short. 9/10.
Francis - a gorgeous campfire tale with an amusing punchline. 7/10.
Other Lily - Interesting and quirky, with a nice line in that particular feeling you get when trying to get to sleep despite feeling terrified. 7/10.
Mute - absolutely brilliant. Would have been my choice for best animated short if not just beaten by Alt-Tab. 9/10.
Frozen Blood Test - most will have seen this by now. It's worth watching again. And again. And again. 8/10.
Then you had some of the usual What You Make It selection, a typically eclectic mix:
La Seance - an interesting look at a very particular branch of photography. 7/10.
The Nest - many will have already seen this Cronenberg short. That doesn't make it any less unnerving. 7/10.
The House Is Innocent - a highly amusing look at the warm and witty couple who own an infamous murder home. 8/10.
How Deep Can I Go? - strong contender for my favourite of the fest until some other choices were shown. You may agree with me when you watch it. 9/10.
Death In Bloom - enjoyable and amusing look at death dealing with a slightly fussy customer who just wants her final moments to be perfect. 6/10.
Saturday had a short programme that reminded us all of Where The Wild Things Are:
Boniato - an interesting and impressive little monster movie that could easily be expanded upon, I think. 8/10.
I still prefer Play Dead, however, from the same talented people. So here is Play Dead for you to enjoy.
The Bridge Partner - very droll, but also very amusing. 7/10.
L'ours Noir - an absolutely hilarious look at how not to attract the attention of bears. 9/10.
Foxglove - strange and flawed, this one didn't really work for me. 3/10.
Bad Throttle - a great punchline makes this well worth seeing on a big screen, but it's overlong when you consider the joke. 6/10.
Three short movies made up the Apocalypse Soon section:
Graffiti - a quiet but enjoyable tale set in Pripyat. 7/10.
The Disappearance Of Willie Bingham - starts decent, gets better, and becomes downright horrifying as things go on. Brilliant, bleak stuff. 8/10.
Monsters - my personal choice for the best short film of the festival. Amazing stuff. 10/10.
Last, but by no means least, we have I Blame The Parents, and this lot included:
Viking - a brother and sister give their dad a send off while also revelling in the fact that he's finally shuffled off this mortal coil. 7/10.
Honor Student - more like a music video, this is no less impactful during its final moments. 7/10.
Black Eyes - almost feels like Harold & Maude remade with two child stars. Wonderful stuff. 8/10.
De Kleinzoon AKA The Grandson - dark, witty, and with a fantastic punchline. 9/10.
Blight - superb stuff, yet another short film that easily feels ripe for expansion. It's all about a priest helping a family deal with their possessed and pregnant daughter. 9/10.
The Babysitter Murders - this won best short film of the festival. While it's polished, amusing stuff, and benefits from a layer of meta winks and nods, it's also far too predictable, and ever so slightly smug. But most people seemed to disagree with me. And I still really enjoyed it, regardless. 7/10.
And that covers them all. If you like what you have seen here then please do share the love for these talented film-makers, and keep an eye out for the other titles mentioned here. You won't regret it.
