Berlinale Shorts I: Animation, 3D, VHS, CRT and More!

4 different stories, 4 totally different experiences. The first of the Berlinale shorts series screening took place today and the films are very promising. Read about each film of the first series here.

1. It Wasn’t the Right Mountain, Mohammad (Mili Pecherer, France, 2019)

While making this film, director Mili Pecherer was inspired by a thank you note to God found by her parents in a plastic bottle on the beach. The film itself opens up on a vast ocean filled with bottles along with a voice over leading us into the story. Next we are taken into the desert along with our character and 6 rams. Peceherer amazingly connects the character’s journey with the holy sacrifice story of Abraham and his son Isaac. It is an interesting experience to feel an emotional connection with the rams in such a short amount of time.

2. Playback. Ensayo de una despedida (Agustina Comedi, Argentina, 2019)

This film from Argentina carried the revolutionary spirit of the 80’s. The fight for people’s voice who suffered from AIDs is portrayed through a personalized story. The sound and videos used from the VHS cassette draws the audience to the past and although the film was short, its affect is sure to be everlasting…

3. 2008 (Blake Williams, Canada, 2019)

Blake Williams aims to combine the old and the new in this experimental film. The CRT footage on TV is taken with 3D cameras. At one point, you might even get dizzy seeing this film, however if you are a fan of experimental films it will be a pleasure!

4. Écume (Omar Elhamy, Canada, 2020)

The longest film in the series, has a simple story but deep characters. The story is about a car wash which is going to be closed but the workers there want to prevent this. They desperately realize their powerlessness against authority in such a case. Omar Alhamy, the director of the film highlights that the characters in his shorts are inspired from his encounters with real people and that is what makes this film very unique.

So far so good is the 70th Berlinale Film Festival. Keep following my blog for more info and comments on particular films!