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Short and sweet
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Beyond the feature-length, there's a World full of gems
by MATTHEW HAYS
Though short films so often don't get seen, the World Film Fest has generally been reliable in gathering up some excellent non-feature-length works for anthology-length consumption. This year is no exception, with a number of standout shorter works unreeling.
Robert DeLeskie's directorial debut, Makeup, is something of a marvel. At a mere 10 minutes, the film manages to engage us in its seemingly simplistic narrative, a series of misunderstandings in a relationship that could be breaking apart. What's truly impressive is DeLeskie's choice to use virtually no dialogue whatsoever; his leads (David Danzon and Tara Rosling, both excellent in their roles) manage to convey a complex range of emotions, all through facial expression and body language. DeLeskie takes serious pleasure in carving his style out of French '60s fare, in particular the films of Jacques Demy. The results are exceptional.
Returning to the World is Concordia film school alumna Claudia Morgado, whose Martirio was spawned from the Canadian Film Centre's professional development program. An absurd script has one woman facing intense pressure from her washed-up trapeze-artist patriarch (!) to marry a chosen mate. Typically, Morgado has crafted a visually rich, stunning-to-look-at film; her material is decidedly cryptic, with the director managing to pack a lush family melodrama into a solid 18-minute package.
Wayne Traudt's Body Rhythm is an all-too-brief ode to the human form in motion. Traudt takes the music of acclaimed composer Michael Brook (sung by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan) and animates a stunning dance that is both sensuous and moving. Traudt effectively combines the music with movement, in a film that fittingly comes from the NFB, the place that supported so much of the work of late animation genius Norman McLaren. Body Rhythm feels like his godchild. Traudt, a disciple of the Alberta College of Art, choreographs his sketches of the human body perfectly--clearly, he carefully modelled his drawings after actual dancers. The care he took with the filmmaking process pays off.
Paul Driessen has proven one of the NFB's major stars, and the unveiling of his latest at this festival will only bolster his reputation. The Boy Who Saw the Iceberg is a cautionary tale, told with Driessen's splendidly absurd animation style. A young boy, constantly caught up in daydream adventure, is finally given the chance for a real challenge. But when faced with the reality, an iceberg, the boy finds himself pining for his old life, which he previously contended was boring. A sweet-natured film from the man who brought us Cat's Cradle and The End of the World in Four Seasons.
More World Film Fest stories
All of the short films screen as part of the World Film Fest. See the official schedule or log on to www.ffm-montreal.org for details
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