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Short film review archive

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P — 109 results

  • Pandas (2012)
    Review preview for Pandas

    Pandas is gleeful, brutal, mischievous and funny.

    Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
    Animated tale about the clash for space between pandas and humans.
  • Paradise Later (2010)
    Review preview for Paradise Later

    Sometimes the sense of a thing is enough, and Paradise Later delivers ably.

    Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
    Shots of pollution in an Indonesian river are accompanied by the sounds of a travelling salesman reporting to his board.
  • Paris/Sexy (2010)
    Review preview for Paris/Sexy

    Both compelling and haunting.

    Andrew Robertson · 4.5 out of 5
    A girl on the verge of womanhood imagines life away from the constraints of caring for her father.
  • Paris: Bon Voyage (2004)
    Review preview for Paris: Bon Voyage

    The key to the success of this very short short is its strong use of images and a hearty script.

    Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
    A day in the life of a migrant to Paris.
  • Paris: Rendez-Vous (2004)
    Review preview for Paris: Rendez-Vous

    Slight, but pleasant.

    Amber Wilkinson · 2.5 out of 5
    A look at multi-cultural Paris.
  • Paris: Trompe l'oeil (2004)
    Review preview for Paris: Trompe l'oeil

    A clever idea, executed with style.

    Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
    A celebration of life in the city
  • Park Foot Ball (2005)
    Animated antics of a kick-about.
  • Parliamo Glasgow (2009)
    Review preview for Parliamo Glasgow

    This is a touching little film.

    Andrew Robertson · 3.5 out of 5
    Coming to grips with the Glaswegian dialect...?
  • Partillo De La Risa (2003)
    Review preview for Partillo De La Risa

    Visually exhilerating, Suzanna Martin's film is an artistic piece, rather than a documentary.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 3 out of 5
    Partially animated celebration of breakdancing and South American rhythms.
  • Party (2009)
    Review preview for Party

    Written and directed by Dalibor Matanic, with a strong central performance from Leona Paraminski, it's technically adept, haunting.

    Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
    A Vukovar girl takes in the delights of a simple summer day spent with friends.
  • Party On (2008)
    Review preview for Party On

    There's something really refreshing about the simplicity of this, a more honest insight into young minds than films made about them by adults usually manage.

    Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
    Three girls plan a party but things don't turn out the way they expected.
  • Passion Flower (2007)
    Review preview for Passion Flower

    A quietly powerful look at one woman's story, told with delicacy and passion.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    A dancer talks about her decision to get a tattoo after having a double mastectomy.
  • Paul's Dream (2007)
    Review preview for Paul's Dream

    It is not the why of the dream, nor even the wherefore. It is the memories.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 4 out of 5
    The hidden hurt of a long life. Showing at EIFF - World Shorts 1.
  • Pause For Thoughts (2005)
    Review preview for Pause For Thoughts

    Interesting, but heavy-handed.

    Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
    Experimental, abstraction involving a man lighting his fag.
  • Paw (2003)
    Review preview for Paw

    The camera is an inquisitive eye and the actors respond to this mime show with admirable seriousness.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 3.5 out of 5
    A couple find something nasty in the woods.
  • PC Theodore Pitts: Pigeon Police (2004)
    Review preview for PC Theodore Pitts: Pigeon Police

    The script simply isn't funny enough to sustain the runtime.

    Amber Wilkinson · 2 out of 5
    Mockumentary about a pigeon police officer.
  • Pepper (2014)
    Review preview for Pepper

    Brilliantly observational and poignant, Pepper sums up lifetimes of disappointment and loneliness in just eight minutes.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    A relationship comes under strain after sexual fun gives way to questions on the morning after.
  • Perfect (2002)
    Review preview for Perfect

    It's stylish stuff, professionally put together in a post-Taggart way, with a brooding score by Mike Hewer. Man-on-the-edge Stephen Moyer does intensity well and looks lovely naked.

    Martin Gray · 3 out of 5
    Scottish estate agent works hard showing clients and colleagues the stairway to heaven.
  • Petropolis, Aerial Perspectives On The Alberta Tar Sands (2009)
    Review preview for Petropolis, Aerial Perspectives On The Alberta Tar Sands

    In my job I see a lot of beautifully shot films, but the cinematography in this one is simply breathtaking.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    An exploration of the clash between oil-hungry industry and those determined to protect a fragile ecological resource.
  • Pets In Pots (2008)
    Review preview for Pets In Pots

    A sensistively made documentary, with top-notch production values.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    A girl whose parents have divorced finds solace with her pets... even the ones in formaldehyde.
  • Philippa & Nancy (2011)
    Review preview for Philippa & Nancy

    The mockumentary is, by now, far from a fresh format, but this film brings so much fresh energy to it that the result it much more fun than you'd expect.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    Two friends demonstrate their unusual method of picking up men.
  • Photos Of God (2010)
    Review preview for Photos Of God

    It's good, even very good, but there are moments that weaken it.

    Andrew Robertson · 3 out of 5
    A teenage boy looks after his disabled mother as both wrestle with memories of how life used to be.
  • Photo Session (2010)
    Review preview for Photo Session

    If photographs are infinitesimally small slices of time captured, the movies give us that additional dimensionality that turns them into real, living and breathing people.

    Scott Macdonald · 3 out of 5
    The passion a couple reveal during a photo shoot is lost when they are captured in still images.
  • Phroyter: Blank Pages (2005)
    Review preview for Phroyter: Blank Pages

    The collage sequences in the street are clever, without turning your brain into Dali's breakfast. The

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 3 out of 5
    Music video with friendly girl and skinny stalker.
  • Pickle (2016)
    Review preview for Pickle

    Poignant and funny.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    Documentary celebrating man's capacity to care for all creatures throughout their sometimes greatly protracted existence until their occasionally sudden and unfortunate demise.
  • Pig In A Poke (2009)
    Review preview for Pig In A Poke

    The animation is crisp, the character design entertaining.

    Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
    A ventriloquist butcher finds himself in conflict with his pig puppet.
  • Pilgrimage (2011)
    Review preview for Pilgrimage

    In Pilgrimage there is a journey, but one is not certain if it is intentional that there is nothing at the end.

    Andrew Robertson · 2 out of 5
    A stroll through the Parc Lafontaine in Montreal reveals moments of wonder.
  • Pilgrimage From Scattered Points (2006)
    Review preview for Pilgrimage From Scattered Points

    Luke Fowler's documentary tribute to the Scratch Orchestra is visually intriguing, politically dynamic, and surprisingly watchable.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    The story of Cornelius Cardew and the Scratch Orchestra.
  • Pillock (2005)
    Review preview for Pillock

    The plot is so thin it needs a good meal.

    Amber Wilkinson · 2 out of 5
    Country gent tells a story to a semi-naked man.
  • Pillow Fight (2004)
    Review preview for Pillow Fight

    Purpose: as with art installations, don't worry about why, appreciate what.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 3 out of 5
    Four-part examination of an indoor sport.
  • Pilot For A 22nd Century Sitcom (2005)
    Review preview for Pilot For A 22nd Century Sitcom

    The animation is distinctive, accomplished and greatly enhanced by the excellent voice-over narration provided by Tim Clark.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    The marital problems of a self-centred scientist in 2112.
  • Piper (2016)
    Review preview for Piper

    The stills don't do it justice, movement is the thing.

    Amber Wilkinson · 5 out of 5
    A baby bird learns how to catch food on the shoreline.
  • Pitch (2003)
    Review preview for Pitch

    . The juxtaposition of the adreneline-fuelled voice, promising 'This film will be acclaimed as the bleeding edge,' with the passive figure in the bath, who may, or may not, be the one who makes the decision, is strangely gripping.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 3 out of 5
    A voice-over pitches the concept for an action film, while a blond young man lazes in a bath.
  • Pixels (2010)
    Review preview for Pixels

    It's hard to find a single detail gone awry.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    8-bit creatures invade New York City.
  • The Pizza Miracle (2010)
    Review preview for The Pizza Miracle

    Features a nice, if melancholy score and excellent photography.

    Scott Macdonald · 3 out of 5
    A son returns to say farewell to his dead father.
  • Planet Kirsan (2010)
    Review preview for Planet Kirsan

    Funny and also very sad.

    Val Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    In the republic of Kalmykia, children are raised under the shadow of a national obsession with chess.
  • The Playboy Murderer (2010)
    Review preview for The Playboy Murderer

    Sadly this documentary manages to miss the mark despite a lot of quality material.

    Jennie Kermode · 2 out of 5
    The story of flashy businessman and conman Thanos Papalexis, who dazzled his friends and lovers yet harboured a dark secret.
  • Playing With Balls (2015)
    Review preview for Playing With Balls

    In a neat nine minutes, we are reminded of how perspective is shaped by the passing of time.

    Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
    Entranced by a sporting performance and frustrated by her ordinary life, a lesbian gives in to temptation and subsequently has to live with guilt.
  • Playtime (2003)
    Review preview for Playtime

    Douglas Walker has made a pop video, without the pop.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 2.5 out of 5
    An attempt at pop video with collage of pretty images, signifying nostalgia and Highland beaches.
  • The Plot (2002)
    Review preview for The Plot

    The Plot has the authentic looking website, but it's authenticity of the most banal kind, a tie-in that both fails to illuminate the parent film, or provide entertainment of its own.

    Martin Gray · 1 out of 5
    An intruder in an empty house leads to the discovery of a website address.
  • Plot Point (2007)
    Review preview for Plot Point

    It's a brilliant piece, almost wasted in a cinema because it's only seen once.

    Andrew Robertson · 5 out of 5
    At a big event in Times Square, something is going on - but what?
  • Plunge (2015)
    Review preview for Plunge

    There's a primal terror underlying what we see.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    Two women go into the countryside together to have fun in a lake, but then something inexplicable happens.
  • Poached (1999)
    Review preview for Poached

    Molotnikov's confidence in shooting out-of-doors is admirable.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 3.5 out of 5
    Story of two lads taking salmon from a river.
  • Poles Apart (2017)
    Review preview for Poles Apart

    The textures of this film are lovely, from the grains of snow that we see blow into footprints, to the distinctive coats of the two bears, that ruffle in the wind and with movement.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
    Stop-motion animation about an unlikely friendship in the Arctic.
  • Polterheist (2016)
    Review preview for Polterheist

    Hanke clearly has fun with the kind of role rarely available to women.

    Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
    Two gangsters kidnap a psychic to find out where the man they murdered buried the loot.
  • Pork Chop (2002)
    Review preview for Pork Chop

    This is one to watch and enjoy.

    Martin Gray · 4 out of 5
    An old lady goes to the butchers - twice - and has a night in with a pal.
  • Possessed (2010)
    Review preview for Possessed

    Among the dropped frames it seems more forced than it ought, less critical.

    Andrew Robertson · 1 out of 5
    Watching Joan Crawford watching life go by.
  • Post-its (2006)
    Review preview for Post-its

    Aitken’s camera expertly catches the contrast between the humour and the unsettling.

    Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
    A woman takes notes on her first day at work.
  • Pachyderme (2022)
    Review preview for Pachyderme

    Grandfather’s hands are prominent, the size of her whole forearm. Clément observes their use in small but potent ways.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    Like every summer, Louise stays at her grandparents in the countryside for a few days during the holidays. What could happen to her there?
  • Paleontology Lesson (2025)
    Review preview for Paleontology Lesson

    Feels like a bite-sized companion piece to The Invasion

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    Short documentary following a children's visit to a natural history museum.

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