Hollyshorts Film Festival – Family Drama

By starrymag | August 21, 2023

By: Gladys Luna

 

 

The HollyShorts Film Festival has returned better than ever and bringing us the best short films that will not leave anyone disappointed. Divided in different categories that go from dark comedy, horror, kids animation and all the way to family drama. We are granted with the marvelous gift to experience all kinds of emotions and stunning performances that will either keep you entertained or on the brink of tears. So, pick your best seat, grab your favorite snack and let’s roll!

 

 

THE VAN – WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY BERNARD BADION

 

Is there a direct landline to heaven? The Van tells the story of a grieving widower named Sinto (Raul Aranas) and his son Terry (Pam Murphy) who seem to have nothing in common beyond their grief. This is made evident by their broken bond and their immeasurable love for Lourdes (Lydia Gaston), a mother and a wife that appeared to be the glue that used to bring these two opposites together. It even seems that from the great beyond she manages to pull some strings to help them fix what they thought was already broken and irreparable.

 

This short film follows closely the interaction between Sinto and Terry as this son attempts to help his father prepare to leave the house that holds the millions of memories of the years he shared there with his wife. Sadly, the property is set to be demolished soon and despite what we may believe, we soon discover that Sinto’s most treasured possession is not the house itself but rather the broken van that patiently waits for his visit every night.

 

In this heartfelt story, longing is the common thread to what these characters hold onto as a lifeline that keeps them going and preventing them from collapsing. Carried on in a four-wall set that gives the impression of a theatrical ambiance, director Bernard Badion takes a unique approach to loss and mourning by taking viewers on a profound journey that leaves us with a huge message about how grief and hope might not be as opposite as we think. In fact, it may even open the door to a major and more optimistic possibility that perhaps, if we mix these two ingredients right, they can provide us with such a wonderful new experience.

 

The Van is a must-see short film that should involve reading between the lines and is made for those who enjoy taking one step further about the daily thoughts of living as much as it does death.

 

 

SEPARATION – WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY AURÉLIEN ACHACHE

 

While in a mission on space, cosmonaut Arkhip (Paul Hamy) recalls his childhood years next to his older brother Yuri (Philippe Carbou) – allowing us to be passengers of the expedition into the darkest corners of his mind. Through nostalgic flashbacks of his past memories, we find ourselves running next to him across his old house as we are introduced to each of the members of the family.

Separation is a gut-wrenching story that is told from five different perspectives revealing that absolutely everything in life has more than one angle. The whole scenery appears to serve as a symbolical manner of the human condition to understand passing through life and the introspection that is made every once in a while, when surrounded by nothing but questions that seems to leave them stranded in the dark and silent space.

 

Director Aurélien Achache plays with different dark and light scenarios that might as well expose and represent an actual projection of the protagonist’s emotions. On the surface it may seem to be predictable but as the film progresses it reveals a variety of aspects with which we can easily connect. This is undoubtedly a short film that forces you to look into it with fresh and analytical eyes.

 

 

SIMO – WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY AZIZ ZOROMBA

 

What harm a practical joke can do? This is exactly what this short film revolves around. Simo focuses on the life of its protagonist of the same name played by Basel El Rayes and his brother (Seif El Rayes). Both share a house with their father (Aladeen Tawfeek) who desires nothing but the best for the wellbeing of his teenage sons. This film allows us to navigate through the daily struggles and rollercoaster of emotions of what it means to be a teenager nowadays as we witness Simo’s storyline unravel before us.

 

Simo is the kind of teenager targeted by those who take pleasure in torturing others except he has always a shoulder to lean on as his brother is certainly one step away from him and has assumed the role of his savior and official defender. He is also exhausted by seemingly having to carry the burden of a life that is far from what he would like, in what appears to be a typical day in his life trying to find his own place in the world while embodying his brother on a live stream. It is an innocent attempt to make a joke, but Simo makes a decision that causes his heart to skip a few beats and forces him to face a reality of which he wasn’t aware. This turn of events puts their circumstances into perspective, including his father who in his attempt to keep his sons away from danger and protected from the day-to-day chaos has actually built a huge divide between them.

 

Simo explores the family ties and how good intentions can go bad in just a blink of an eye. Director Aziz Zoromba shows viewers that sometimes we are only one step away from turning our worlds upside down. This short film maintains a steady pace with the exact amount of suspense while keeping us wondering what will come next.

 

 

 

PIETRE SOMMERSE (“SUNKEN STONES”) – WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY JORDI PENNER

 

“You always reach the bottom and you come back at the last second” is one of the lines that imprint its own mark in this story. If there were a plotline to define the center of this emotional short film, it would definitely be this one. Pietre Sommerse introduces us to the story of Carlo (Gabriele Falsetta) and Elia (Michael Schermi) who embark on a trip down memory lane on their way back from the clinic where she frequents. The two brothers talk about their childhood games and compare what their lives have turned out to be. It might as well have been a sign of what was to come for them in the future. Elia has found some delight in living at the edge as an attempt to drown the ghosts of the past that come and haunt him every once in a while, and what used to be only a child’s game ends up turning into a cruel reality. Once again, we are faced with the magical symbolism of the curves that life could throw at us and how everyone manages to have a different way to sort it out or not.

 

The director and writer of this piece, Jordi Penner, uses the lake and the rocks as a way to describe the heavy weight that burdens us as we are getting older. The lake as scenery brings a sense of peacefulness that contrasts with the brothers’ fight against their own demons as they come to the surface. Penner brings to the table a huge question – how long can you hold your breath underwater until you finally sink? And it leaves us with one big takeaway that sometimes there are people that just don’t want to be saved and they will keep coming back to the lake to sink themselves with their own stones.

 

 

IN THE GARDEN OF TULIPS – WRITTEN BY AVA LALEZARZADEH AND DIRECTED BY JULIA ELIHU

 

In the Garden of Tulips takes place at the climax of the war between Iraq and Iran as the spotlight is on only one of the many protagonists of such a chaotic time in history. Caroline (Ava Lalezarzadeh) embarks on a road trip along with her father Sharif (Ethan Rains) to an uncertain destiny. The origin of its nature appears to be a unique path that leads to the opportunity of starting over. On the way to her future Caroline and her father are met with a few unpleasant circumstances that oblige them to pretend and fake a smile to cover the real sadness behind their eyes and hearts. Halfway into this film we are faced with what might look like a regular day for anyone else but we are granted and caught up with a heartbreaking moment of intimacy with a character who brilliantly connects with us in just an instant.

 

Director Julia Elihu thoroughly accomplishes her goal of displaying more than a glimpse of the meaning of an event like this showing us the world through Caroline’s eyes and taking us by the hand through a tidal wave of emotions making us share her anguish, pain, doubt but mostly the agony of knowing that every turn of the wheel is taking her closer to an inevitable truth. This is a must-see short film that proves that sometimes the promise of a better future comes with the terrifying curse of leaving everything else behind.

 

 

 

MOTHERLAND – WRITTEN BY CHRISTINA YOON AND MINKYU KANG AND DIRECTED BY CHRISTINA YOON

 

“To all who have searched and never found. To all who have found and lost.” This is the closing line of the short film Motherland, which perfectly encloses the story of Leah (Tiffany Chu), a young woman who finds herself in the brim of desperation looking for answers knowing deep inside her soul that she might not be able to find them. Wearing her bravest suit to cover the fear and angst that had been consuming her for so long now, she decides to present herself at the adoption agency where she was given away years ago demanding for something that will help her understand why she was not worth keeping. Unfortunately, it isn’t so simple, and she finds nothing beyond hopelessness. Suddenly, a twist of fate sets her in the right direction encouraging her to take the next step to what she believes will offer the peace of mind she has been yearning for.

 

Tiffany Chu delivers a magnificent performance allowing us to take a peek at Leah’s life as we experience each and every feeling that inhabits her. Director Christina Yoon bestows us with the knowledge of a heartbreaking reality for so many adoptees out there and invites viewers to take a closer look at the existential void that uncertainty and the aching notion of being left behind may cause.

 

This is how a funeral, a quest for meaning and a tad of reality that bites hard makes the perfect mix to bring this beautiful story to life teaching us that sometimes being “too late” might also the best thing that can ever happen to someone. I definitely recommend watching it with caution and an open heart.