kind of a scattershot approach to documentary filmmaking, interviewing what felt like about thirty subjects all introduced in one long opening section (probably it was more like 8 or 10 but it felt like too many anyway) -- this doesn't break any new ground on the topics as far as i can tell but it's a story that should continue to be told over and over again by as many as would like their voices heard on the subject. i'm…
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The Red Tree 2021
an excellent road trip film that even got me to appreciate that south american flute instrument thing. the colombian setting adds a lot to what would otherwise be a rather straightforward story. a great way to end the film festival for me!
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In The Event Of My Death
i love the concept of a treasure hunt/adventure being prepared for your friends to complete after your death, with clues based on shared experiences from your life. however, i didn't really like the way it was done in this film, especially the choice to make the main character mute for pretty much the entire time.
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In the Water
well, i didn't see that coming. surprisingly personal short, worth watching.
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Children of the Mist 2021
cute and funny documentary about a group of young teenage girls in vietnam, which soon enough turns into a real-life folk horror exponentially more horrifying than anything ari aster has conceived.
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Rachels Don't Run 2021
very promising short. i remember an indie feature from a few years ago (but i can't for the life of me remember the name of it) that did kind of similar things with artificial intelligence/machine learning in a low-key office situation. wish i could remember the name of that one so i could compare plotlines but in any case this is definitely a good start, so let's see the feature version!
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The Staffroom 2021
like if someone took all the verite parts of THE OFFICE (US) and removed all the interviews, then focused only on the scenes with pam and creed. so yeah, it doesn't flow that well but it's totally frenetic and has some pretty funny moments.
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Warm Blood 2022
i take issue with whoever at siff is trying to classify modesto as "northern california" but this is definitely the feature with the most style at the festival. in fact i was liking this so much i paid close attention to the credits and saw a friend listed in the acknowledgements who i haven't spoken with in years; so now we're back in touch! thanks WARM BLOOD! strangely i had only earlier that day been thinking i should be in…
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Franzy's Soup Kitchen 2021
ultimately this ended up being my kids' favorite of the family shorts program, and it's easy to see why: what a fun, funky little claymation story with weird aliens making each other soup and loving each other! you got space travel, lots of costume changes, funny dancing, and bizarre pink food. good times.
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She Dreams At Sunrise 2021
this was my daughter's second favorite of the family shorts program so we ended up watching it about twelve times. personally i'm more than a little creeped out that a short produced by and for proctor & gamble was even a part of the film festival. add to that the unappealing animation style and the absolutely terrible color combinations seen here, and i was really wishing she would find a new favorite (which, thankfully, she eventually did.) the story told, however,…