TIFF 2015: Highlights from the Short Cuts Programme 7

Posted in Festival Coverage, TIFF 2015 by - September 17, 2015

Short Cuts Programme 7 – The protagonists in this programme are forced to confront with transitions large and small, some reflecting on the lives they leave behind while others encounter the thrill of new adventures.

Never Happened
Dir. Mark Slutsky

In this comedy short, Mia Kirshner and Aaron Abrams star as co-workers who resort to unusual measures to keep a business-trip indiscretion on the down-low.

The premise of this film sounds simple enough, but its use of a creative type of technology in order to  ‘erase’ evidence of said certain indiscretion, makes it more provocative than you think. Good use of length to get story across. The cast does a good job of keeping the audience engaged. At the end, you may be wondering has this happened before or is it just your imagination?

Rating 3/5

Benjamin
Dir. Sherren Lee

When a dually-pregnant lesbian couple loses one of the babies in utero, the grieving mothers break their surrogacy arrangement with another gay couple — their closest friends — in order to keep the remaining baby.

Sense of loss in this film is palpable from beginning to end. All parents involved in the situation are heartbroken yet have to make a very difficult decision. Driven by high calibre performances, this film addresses the complexities of having a family for gay & lesbian couples. Although a very tough subject matter, it is well executed in this film.

Rating 3.5/5

Otto
Dirs. Joris Oprins, Marieke Blaauw, Job Roggeveen

A little girl accidentally leaves her imaginary baby brother behind at a restaurant — and suddenly, for a nearby childless couple, the definition of “baby” takes on a new and completely unexpected dimension.

This animated film with no dialogue evokes a wide array of emotions also dealing with the theme of loss. The filmmakers make good use of music, as well as great camera angles to drive story from different points of view. Otto becomes more than a figment of this little girl’s imagination, he symbolizes the need for bonding and connecting with one another, family or not.

Rating 3 / 5

Rock the Box 
Dir. Katherine Monk

For Rhiannon Rozier, a twenty-nine-year-old university grad with a degree in political science and Latin American history, the quest to enter the man-fortress of the DJ booth forces her to confront the dilemma of use her sexuality and get noticed, or linger in the shadows.

Being a female DJ has not been an easy career decision. For Rozier, aka DJ Rhiannon, she eventually ran into the glass ceiling. She was not able make it to the ‘next level’, so she did something she never thought she would do: she posed for Playboy.

This short documentary, allows Rozier to speak about her choice to become a female DJ, posing nude, and about owning her brand and image. She realizes being a DJ is an “experiment in identity”, which allows her to use the industry’s “boundaries” to her advantage.

Rating 3/5

Concerning the Bodyguard
Dir. Kasra Farahani

An anonymous henchman fulfils his role in a rigid hierarchy of power and control in this ingenious film. Salman Rushdie clearly enjoys his role as narrator for this adaptation of a razor-sharp satire written by Donald Barthelme.

The story is written mostly as questions pose to you, the audience, to ponder the bodyguard’s existence. The life of the bodyguard is filled with a myriad of observations and anecdotes. The film visually depicts the questions: who exactly is this bodyguard and what of his principal… who is this man the bodyguard has been hired to protect? 

Screens

MON SEP 14 6:45pm at TIFF Bell Lightbox Cinema 3
SAT SEP 19 3:45pm at Scotiabank Theatre Scotiabank 11

This post was written by
Heidy has a love of fine art history, films, books, world issues, music and science, leading her to share her adventures on her website (www.hyemusings.ca) , and as a contributor at other outlets. She loves sharing the many happenings in Toronto and hopes people will go out and support the arts in any fashion possible.
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