AFF 2023 Correspondence: Strangers in a Strange Land Shorts Block

Writer’s note: Entering Day 2 of Austin Film Fest, I found myself back at the Galaxy Theater in North Austin. On my docket for the day was coverage on a block of shorts geared towards the surreal, followed by a feature film fully drenched in the surreal. Keeping up the tradition of having the most ill-timed weather, Austin decided once again to be wet and muggy, continuing its assault on my comfortability. Nevertheless, I stood fast with excitement knowing that I would be reviewing a bunch of shorts (Seven, to be exact), something that I’ve somehow never done till now. With sweat on my back and excitement in tow, I stepped into Galaxy Theaters once more to see what was cooking.

Oddities

(directed by Tyler Savage)

A stylish short that centers on two strung out would-be thieves (Ariela Barer and Logan Miller, respectively) who plan to rob an old woman’s (Adrienne Barbeau) antique store. Savage’s dialogue aims to feel like something in a Quentin Tarantino movie, with overlapping, frantic exchanges filled with unlimited uses of the word “fuck.” It doesn’t always work but Barer and Miller bring enough wide-eyed edginess to keep this short moving. Once the duo take on the actual heist, the film takes a supernatural turn involving Barbeau’s seemingly kindly curator. The effects in the final third are pretty solid for a low budget short and the ending hits a sort of cosmic justice punchline, like one found in The Twilight Zone, that brings a smile to your face. Short and to the point, Oddities makes for a fun enough quick hit.

Shitty Therapy

(directed by Javier Polo)

How far can a joke about shit go? Pretty far, if it’s in the hands of director Javier Polo and writers Juanjo Moscardó Rius and Ana Ramón. Visualized as a kitschy 70’s theme educational program, Fernando Cervera and Mariano Collantes relay their own story of creating a fake pseudo-therapy that pushes the value of using shit to cure ailments. With tongues firmly in cheek the duo talk with glee about how their intentionally batshit crazy joke gained actual support in the world and scientific community. It all leads to a railing against the space of pseudotherapy in general, bringing in the likes of anti-vaxxers and climate denier under its heated but jovial interrogation. For the filmmakers, over-the-top health remedies aren’t just silly, they’re dangerous, which they demonstrate in the short’s last moments of showing real life incidents of people dying from following various crackpot theories and medications. A comedic short with insight, anger, and genuine laughs to spare, Shitty Therapy is the most fun you’ll have while shaking your head in embarrassment.

Beauty Visa

(directed by Kate He & Simeon Hu)

In the post-screening Q&A, director Kate He noted that the specter of Black Mirror had a heavy influence on the main idea of this short. It’s easy to see why with the captivating main idea that He and Hu present in their short where access to America is now determined by a beauty screening that determines if people are eligible to enter and stay in the country. A two-piece tango between He as a prospective citizen and Ben Jaeger-Thomas as the cold customs agent quizzing her, Beauty Visa walks an unsteady line between uncomfortable comedy and drama. I say that as a compliment as some of the jokes in this short seem so dark that I felt a bit bad when I chuckled at them. Powered mostly by the world building He develops, Beauty Visa is a short with big ideas that maybe could benefit from more time to explore them a bit more.

The Third Bedroom

(directed by Kathryn Van Buren)

Probably my favorite of the bunch. Kathryn Van Buren’s The Third Bedroom is a quiet and warm look at the power of spaces that people leave behind for others when they pass. A young man (Ruben Javier Caballero) and his daughter (Ava Torres) are cleaning the family home when the young girl discovers a bedroom that belonged to the man’s sister. Soon after, the young girl begins to see and hear an animalistic presence in the room. While it could easily fall victim to the trappings of using elements of horror to take a look at greed, Van Buren goes for a warmer approach to her sad and somber material. Excellent acting from Caballero and Torres put us right in the cozy beach house the family members are cleaning out, noting each person’s slowly healed pain and youthful inquisitiveness. The film’s final act feels like a Guillermo Del Toro film (or as Van Buren noted as an inspiration, a Studio Ghibli film) with its introduction of a monstrous yet protective creature acting as a sort of protector for our young heroine. The practical effects in this portion are pretty astounding, especially for an indie short like this one. With a firm handle on mood and buildup, Van Buren definitely emerges from this block as a filmmaker to keep an eye on.

(Dis)connected

(directed by Karl Stetler)

Feeling more like a tech demo than a full narrative short, (Dis)connected nonetheless is a very impressive demo. The most visual effect heavy of the bunch, Stetler shows a good hand in visualizing his world of AI-generated memories and spine chips. The story shown in the short’s six minutes feels more like a scene in a feature film rather than a complete story with a clear beginning, middle, and end, but what Stetler does show holds promise. Granted, the story’s take on people using technology to come to grips with a past trauma feels a little generic, but again, I imagine Stetler has much more in mind for this world he’s given us a peek into. 

Mahogany Drive

(directed by Jerah Milligan)

The most comedy centric of the shorts shown in this block, Mahogany Drive is a high concept comedy skit centering on three black guys (Jonathan Braylock, James lll, and Milligan) waking up to a dead white girl in their vacation home. The main strength of this short is guessing which crazy route it will decide to take its story down. Will it focus on the tension of three black men faced with the prospect of figuring out how to handle a dead white woman’s body? No, not really, because the short then raises the idea of a house that somehow is intentionally killing every white woman that walks into its halls. This possible route grabbed me in its ridiculous yet pretty funny concept, but then a last act twist to focus more on the theme of general sexism comes in as the punchline. While surprising, this twist doesn’t quite land for me. It’s a funny route loaded with dramatic and comedic potential, but as the ending punchline, it’s not really explored in any meaningful way. Still, there’s a nice rat-a-tat flow to the three main characters, each getting a good line in here and there. Additionally, it’s a short that mostly keeps the pace and the jokes moving to not overstay its welcome.

A Conspiracy Man

(directed by Valerio Ferrara)

How do conspiracy theorists gain power in today’s world? According to Valerio Ferrara’s A Conspiracy Man, just put them in a jail cell with other people and let them ramble away. I really like the idea of dryly following the life of a guy enamored with conspiracy theories. Ferrara tells the story in such a way that I found myself kind of pitifully rooting for the main character to get some support from his friends and families as he spent his days looking at random conspiracies. However, once a mishap puts the man in jail and he relays his eccentric musings to others in the jail cell who slowly begin to agree with him, I struggled to get a read on how Ferrara saw their main character. I think what really holds this back from sticking with me is that it ends right before the story seems to hit its interesting stride as we see the man gain more mainstream popularity with his theories. It’s a well-acted and good looking short, but overall it’s a bit too light of a look into a topic that holds so much comedic and potentially even dramatic potential.