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Short film review archive

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A — 108 results

  • Aurore (2018)
    Review preview for Aurore

    The technical work is very good but more than matched only by the quality of the acting.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    A teenager discovers that she can put her fingers in places where they shouldn't go.
  • Autumnal (2008)
    Review preview for Autumnal

    Guaranteed to fuel the debate of what differentiates a short film from a visual installation, Nyerges’ film freely pushes the boundaries of experimentalism.

    James Gracey · 3 out of 5
    Abstract short considers life in flux.
  • Au Revoir Mon Monde (2023)
    Review preview for Au Revoir Mon Monde

    Even destruction on this scale can only be taken so seriously when our focus is on a fish pelting down the street on a tiny scooter.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    As the world nears its end, a man stuck in a fish costume races against the clock towards a mysterious tower.
  • The Avocado (2018)
    Review preview for The Avocado

    Modest and unassuming, brilliantly composed, El Aguacate delivers a punch to the gut.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    An elderly man prepares to ask a co-worker out on a date.
  • The Awakening Of The Insects (2021)
    Review preview for The Awakening Of The Insects

    The art itself just on the edge of real, the spectre of the special economic region, the consequences of colony.

    Andrew Robertson · 3.5 out of 5
    When an elderly Hong Kong gentleman loses his memory, he receives an unexpected visit from a Taoist exorcist who is determined to chase out the demons lodging in his head.
  • 'A' For Alpha (2021)
    Review preview for 'A' For Alpha

    The themes are delicately handled and confrontations don't develop in the ways you might expect.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    A man struggles to reconcile the reality of his life with what he grew up to think he should be doing as a man.
  • Abdul & Hamza (2015)
    Review preview for Abdul & Hamza

    Well worth seeking out.

    Rebecca Naughten · 4 out of 5
    Two Somali immigrants hide near the Serbia-Romania border. Trailed by two sound designers, and armed with a GPS, they are planning their escape.
  • Abuelas (2011)
    Review preview for Abuelas

    It's a story which has been told many times now. But this short film finds a fresh way to tell it.

    Val Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    An elderly woman talks about the disappearance of her pregnant daughter under military rule in Argentina.
  • The Accordion (2010)
    Review preview for The Accordion

    For all its import this feels like stereotypical Iranian cinema.

    Andrew Robertson · 2 out of 5
    When their accordion is confiscated, two children contemplate the meaning or acceptance, resistance and meaningful political struggle.
  • Ache In My Name (2011)
    Review preview for Ache In My Name

    Vivek creates a personal but outward looking picture of shifting power, raising questions about ownership of the self.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    Musings on the pronunciation of personal names.
  • Actresses (2015)
    Review preview for Actresses

    Jeremy Hersh's astute little film explores the performances we all give in day to day life.

    Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
    A successful actress forms a relationship with a starstruck newbie actress who doesn't know how to leave work at the door.
  • Adha Cup (2008)
    Review preview for Adha Cup

    This is a lovely wee film.

    Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
    Two lazy social workers who reluctantly agree to reunite the cast of a legendary amateur Bollywood musical.
  • Afghan '72 (2013)
    Review preview for Afghan '72

    Striking stuff.

    Andrew Robertson · 3 out of 5
    Man meets landscape, on horseback, as a son imagines his father.
  • Akbulak (2008)
    Review preview for Akbulak

    A pleasant hymn to old-fashioned simple memories

    Scott Macdonald · 3.5 out of 5
    Eight years after moving from Russia to Germany, 17-year-old Olja spends her summer holidays with her grandmother in a Russian village.
  • Albana's Asylum (2006)
    An Albanian teenager struggles to find social acceptance in Glasgow, where she is seeking asylum.
  • Alex (2011)
    Review preview for Alex

    Jed Berry delivers an assured performance that belies his age.

    Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
    A teenager left to roam the streets by his heroin-addicted mother dicovers he has a remarkable gift.
  • Alexa To Exa (2015)
    Review preview for Alexa To Exa

    A modest but important film.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    A personal exploration of what it means to come to terms with one's identity in a society whose categories and narratives never seem to fit.
  • Alibi (2009)
    Review preview for Alibi

    Darren Bolger and Caroline Campbell's film is a portrait of an individual crime lost amidst other tragedies.

    Andrew Robertson · 3.5 out of 5
    The truth behind an alibi that kept a killer from justice for 20 years.
  • Alice (2010)
    Review preview for Alice

    A beautifully shot little film.

    Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
    A young girl has a magical experience when taken to a theatrical performance of Alice In Wonderland.
  • Ali Shan (2009)
    Review preview for Ali Shan

    Neither beautiful nor inspiring.

    Val Kermode · 1 out of 5
    The experience of awaiting sunrise on Taiwan's Ali Shan Mountain.
  • All That Glisters (2012)
    Review preview for All That Glisters

    There isn't much to this wee film, but that doesn't mean it doesn't shine.

    Andrew Robertson · 3.5 out of 5
    Growing up, a girl tries to come to terms with her father's illness.
  • Alva (2007)
    Review preview for Alva

    Wonderful acting, invisible and empathetic.

    Scott Macdonald · 4 out of 5
    Tragedy strikes a couple expecting their first child. Showing at the EIFF 2007 as part of European Shorts 1.
  • Ama Dablam (2007)
    Review preview for Ama Dablam

    I found myself being drawn in by the charming “boys’ adventure” approach.

    Val Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    A group of climbers take on one of the world's most challenging mountains.
  • Amber (2017)
    Review preview for Amber

    Neatly done.

    Jane Fae · 4 out of 5
    An obsessed teenager terrorises a member of a boy band, but there's more to their interaction than meets the eye.
  • And There In The Dust (2004)
    A short legacy of child rape.
  • The Angelmakers (2005)
    Review preview for The Angelmakers

    This is an intimate portrait - and much the better for it.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    Why did 51 Hungarian women poison their husbands in a small rural town in 1929?
  • Angry Kid (2003)
    Animation shorts about an annoying child.
  • Animated Guide To Polish Success (2011)
    Review preview for Animated Guide To Polish Success

    Visually appealing and consistently fun to watch - this doesn't feel like receiving a lecture.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    The animated film was produced by Platige Image for Polish Pavilion at EXPO 2010 in Shanghai - to promote the economy.
  • Aningaaq (2013)
    Review preview for Aningaaq

    This seven minute short was originally made to go with Gravity but it stands up very well on its own.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    A Greenlander out on the ice picks up a distress call from a stranded astronaut.
  • Anna Spud (2003)
    Review preview for Anna Spud

    The animation is inspired, the script hilarious.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 5 out of 5
    Who wants holidays if getting there is beyond ruin?
  • Annotate (2003)
    Review preview for Annotate

    Hugely imaginative.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 3 out of 5
    Discourse on electricity - the hows and whats - with moveable graphs and animated thingies.
  • Antichrist (2002)
    Review preview for Antichrist

    Don't think for one second you won't spot where this is going after five minutes.

    Martin Gray · 1 out of 5
    Boys plays dangerous games in a post-apocalyptic Polish quarry.
  • Ant & Len (2009)
    Review preview for Ant & Len

    Insubstantial to say the least.

    Scott Macdonald · 2 out of 5
    Short about a vanishing alien.
  • An Act of Love (2010)
    Review preview for An Act of Love

    There's time to wonder if this might have played better as a sketch in some other show.

    Andrew Robertson · 2 out of 5
    A man agrees to help his partner's sister have a baby.
  • An Ecstatic Experience (2015)
    Review preview for An Ecstatic Experience

    Light, almost ethereal, despite the weight of its subject matter.

    Andrew Robertson · 3.5 out of 5
    A meditative invocation on transcendence as a means of restoration.
  • An Saileach (2012)
    Review preview for An Saileach

    The film is beautifully photographed, spare but evocative.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    A folk song tells of a journey and a terrible decision.
  • Apples And Oranges (2008)
    Review preview for Apples And Oranges

    A bit like issues programming for young adults.

    Andrew Robertson · 1.5 out of 5
    A woman is in love with two different men, but can't decide between them.
  • Archipelagos, Naked Granites (2014)
    Review preview for Archipelagos, Naked Granites

    Hérétakis has an eye for the details of street life and in chronicling the exuberance and angst of a generation who don't see why they should accept the world as it is.

    Rebecca Naughten · 4 out of 5
    Athens 2014. The daily life of a country in crisis, the inertia of revolution, the individual issues that confront the political, questions of survival that confront ideals.
  • Ark (2007)
    Review preview for Ark

    Takes on a great deal in a small space, not altogether successfully.

    Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
    An unknown virus has destroyed almost the entire human population. Oblivious to the true nature of the disease, the only remaining survivors escape to the sea. In great ships, they set off in search of uninhabited land.
  • Arnica (2010)
    Review preview for Arnica

    Compelling, intriguing, and brief.

    Andrew Robertson · 3.5 out of 5
    A young man tries to reconcile with his father through football.
  • Arrivederci Millwall (1990)
    Review preview for Arrivederci Millwall

    A provocative, well-acted piece.

    James Benefield · 3 out of 5
    A group of hooligans get ready to go to the 1982 world cup.
  • Arsenic (2011)
    Review preview for Arsenic

    Purposefully constructed, and to this point well-made.

    Scott Macdonald · 3 out of 5
    A contemplation of the fallibility of memory, especially as we age.
  • The Art Of Survival (1997)
    Review preview for The Art Of Survival

    At the heart of this 25-minute doc is a serious study of a genuine problem.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 3 out of 5
    Documentray explores the plight of Bosnian refugees in London.
  • Ashenden (2010)
    Review preview for Ashenden

    Manages to create and sustain tension out of very little material.

    James Benefield · 3.5 out of 5
    A man is intrigued when he sees his doppelgänger passing by his flat.
  • Ashura (2010)
    Review preview for Ashura

    While this is a short film it carries within it the seeds of dread, hope, and waiting.

    Andrew Robertson · 3 out of 5
    Film borne out of artist's residency with Edinburgh Mela.
  • Assessment (2005)
    Running along a beach through the centuries to the music of The Beta Band.
  • The Assumption (2015)
    Review preview for The Assumption

    A set of moments.

    Andrew Robertson · 3 out of 5
    A documentary about the centuries old Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Randazzo, beneath Mount Etna.
  • Astronauts (2005)
    Review preview for Astronauts

    Quirky and high quality.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    Animated spacemen are affected by lack of gravity and competence.
  • Asylum (2010)
    Review preview for Asylum

    Scattershot, lurching, and with some moments that verge on racial caricature, this is perhaps best avoided.

    Andrew Robertson · 1 out of 5
    A failed asylum seeker dreams or running a bio-dynamic farm.
  • As Far As You've Come (2006)
    Review preview for As Far As You've Come

    Writer/director Vincent Hunter stays close to his actors, who respond magnificently. The mood is dark, the emotions muted.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 4.5 out of 5
    Caring for a wounded man in the rubbish tip.

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