Edited by Kavya Mittal
With the global pandemic, career ambitions, personal responsibilities and commitments and a plethora of other factors to keep us busy, we often ignore the other parts of our life. And today, I want to talk about one such aspect, the idea of entertainment and media. As someone who thoroughly enjoys consuming media, I like to consume different kinds of content, like sitcoms and films. However, lately, a shortage of time, coupled with my constant search for new kinds of media has led me to explore short films as a new genre. Short films are usually less than 40 minutes, and contain a story just like any film, but only in a more compressed manner. They are incredibly engaging, fun and a delight to consume and here, I am going to suggest my 3 must-see short films on Youtube.
Overcomer is an animated short film by the artist Hannah Grace. It is about the concept of overthinking and how the protagonist struggles with never feeling good enough and constantly compares herself to others, feels alone and criticizes herself. It also shows shots of the past, the present and their intermingling through an animation of the real world as well as using creative liberty to show this connection. The animation is extremely beautiful and captures very personal emotions in a short span of 5 minutes and 56 seconds. The creator herself suffered from anxiety and depression and therefore her personal experience add to the authenticity of this very sensitive issue. The film uses everyday life experiences like social media doom scrolling and isolation along with complex tropes like overthinking and its consequences to create a highly engaging and relatable experience for the viewer, even someone who hasn’t suffered from mental health illnesses. It is possibly one of my most favourite films ever and will always be saved in my Youtube recommendations.
2. Devi (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KP0aDTVtFI)
Devi is a ‘large’ short film because its run time is 13 mins and 1 second, yet it does not feel dragged on at all. And even though the name might make it seem like a religious film (Devi means Goddess in Hindi), it’s not and the real reason makes sense at the end. The first thing I noticed about this film was the star cast it boasts which, much like me, immediately captures the attention of viewers. Devi is a tale of sisterhood. A tale of suffering. And a tale of truth. It starts casually but with every passing second, you can feel the intensity increasing. We see a group of different women in one room. One is deaf and dumb, another is loudly commenting on everyone. One is praying to god, one is seriously studying, another is drinking and wears party clothes. One is wearing business formals, while another wears a burqa. Some are sitting on the floor whilst others sit on chairs. These subtleties speak volumes about the vast differences in the life experiences of each character and help us understand their story better. The premise of the film is a conversation that follows between the women on a possible new entrant in their ‘home’. And it was very difficult to watch because as you go deeper into it, you understand the real context behind the conversation and the people. This is never revealed in entirety but the subtleties painted in the backdrop make it a brilliant film to engage with. I do not want to reveal spoilers but I would encourage everyone, and especially Indians to watch this incredibly well-made film.
3. Lift (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrU7K53gwQQ)
Lift was made by a 15-year-old girl and is one of the best first short films I have ever seen – it has stuck with me since the first time I watched it! The run time is 12 mins and 29 seconds yet I felt like I was on a journey the whole time. A different kind of journey (albeit with ups and downs) shown via the up and down movement of a lift. The film follows the inside of a lift and the viewer gets to see it from this lens and this lens only. We do not get to see what happens outside the lift nor do we get to follow the journey of our characters beyond the small world of the lift. The film is about two protagonists, a man and a woman, and how their story unfolds via the perspective of the lift. Right from the first moment they see each other, or when they finally talk, to being with each other and more. Romance has been shown in many ways but this film takes it one step further by giving us such a closed and limited perspective. It shows how many stories are always going around in the lift and even gives us small glimpses into many of them, but somehow the protagonists always have their little world in a room full of people. The intimacy shown between the two characters comes through with every shot and never feels forced. So overall, although it shows a simplistic story that many of us go through in our lives, the way it brings forth the connection between the two protagonists is what makes this film worth watching.
I have enjoyed watching many short films and find them to be wonderful ways to inspire introspection about the world we live in. These three are just some of the films that have left an impact on me and I hope they do so on you too, dear reader (or should I say, dear watcher).