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Short film review archive

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S — 197 results

  • Safari (2006)
    Review preview for Safari

    The faces are grotesque and eye candy is spiked.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 4 out of 5
    The terrifying world of monstrous insects.
  • Sanjay's Super Team (2015)
    Review preview for Sanjay's Super Team

    Overall, the film is rather slight, but it's an appealing slice of (mostly fantasy) life and an affectionate reflection on a treasured personal relationship.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    A boy comes to understand his father's religious devotion through his own love of superheroes.
  • Sauna The Dead - A Fairy Tale (2016)
    Review preview for Sauna The Dead - A Fairy Tale

    Despite its slender pretext, Sauna The Dead is a smart and enjoyable film.

    Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
    When a zombie outbreak occurs in a gay sauna, two men have to overcome their prejudices in order to survive.
  • Sausage (2014)
    Review preview for Sausage

    The moral here may be a simple one, but Sausage does simplicity well.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    Local food stall holders are daunted when a new fast food van arrives in town, but are determined not to be defeated.
  • Savage Mountain (2009)
    Review preview for Savage Mountain

    Given how ably it delivers it would be churlish to ask for more.

    Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
    As food runs low and tensions run high on the slopes of Savage Mountain, something sinister is at hand.
  • Save Our Bacon (2010)
    Review preview for Save Our Bacon

    A tasty treat.

    Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
    A farmer needs ten more pigs in a hurry, but the only one he has turns her snout up at prospective suitors.
  • A Scary Time (1960)
    Review preview for A Scary Time

    Probably one of the most disturbing ‘issues’ films you could watch.

    Chris · 4.5 out of 5
    A film made for UNICEF showing the different things which frighten children around the world.
  • Scene (2005)
    Review preview for Scene

    The performances are strong and Larkin and Menzies in particular have an intensity that lifts this film above the pack.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
    Someone is causing a scene.
  • Scene 32 (2009)
    Review preview for Scene 32

    Visually impressive, technically proficient, Scene 32 impresses the eyes.

    Andrew Robertson · 3 out of 5
    Avant garde depiction of the salt fields of central Kaatch.
  • Scottish Beauty (2003)
    Review preview for Scottish Beauty

    The film is a tease, because it leaves you wanting more.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 3 out of 5
    Short documentary on the business of making women look beautiful.
  • Scottish Short Documentary Award Screening (2008)
    Review preview for Scottish Short Documentary Award Screening

    Proving that Scotland can hold it's own when it comes to documentary making.

    Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
    Collection of Scottish short documentaries.
  • Scottish Short Film Showcase (2008)
    Review preview for Scottish Short Film Showcase

    An uninspired, disappointing quartet.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 2.5 out of 5
    Four Scottish shorts, shown at the EIFF.
  • The Scottish Wildcat (2000)
    Review preview for The Scottish Wildcat

    Not quite the cat's whiskers but certainly of interest.

    Amber Wilkinson · 2.5 out of 5
    Footage of the Scottish wildcat
  • Scrapbook (2015)
    Review preview for Scrapbook

    This is a film that might be best served not by a cinema but by a loop.

    Andrew Robertson · 3 out of 5
    Memories of life in a children's home.
  • The Second Line (2007)
    Review preview for The Second Line

    There is no justice in poverty and there is no justice here.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 3.5 out of 5
    Cleaning the filth after Hurricane Katrina.
  • Secrecy (2011)
    Review preview for Secrecy

    Very little happens but it does so in a way that feels inevitable, astonishing.

    Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
    Two women with a houseful of children are too busy to answer all the questions, which only increases curiosity.
  • Secret Santa (2010)
    Review preview for Secret Santa

    Not even the quality of the animation or the music is up to much in this throwaway affair.

    James Benefield · 1.5 out of 5
    Short of cash, Santa decides to become a stripper.
  • Self Portrait (2005)
    Review preview for Self Portrait

    Zeb Lamb’s film oozes style.

    Amber Wilkinson · 5 out of 5
    Portait of an artist as a rebel.
  • The Separation (2003)
    Review preview for The Separation

    A terrifying tale.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 4 out of 5
    A Siamese twin is unable to accept his oneness after being separated.
  • Sequence One (2002)
    Review preview for Sequence One

    Certainly impressionistic, occasionally unfocused, full of artistic imagery, Alan Brown's little film doesn't say much.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 2.5 out of 5
    Impressionistic collage of artistic images.
  • Sergeant (2012)
    Review preview for Sergeant

    Milan Maric and Milo Timotijevic deliver good performances which require them to go in very different directions.

    Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
    The story of a fateful meeting between two men, one night in Belgrade.
  • Seven Minutes In The Warsaw Ghetto (2012)
    Review preview for Seven Minutes In The Warsaw Ghetto

    Fine model work, excellent production design, an overwhelming sense of menace.

    Andrew Robertson · 3 out of 5
    A mischievous boy sees a carrot lying just outside the Warsaw ghetto and tries to retrieve it with a piece of wire.
  • Shade (2004)
    Review preview for Shade

    Slight but sweet.

    Martin Gray · 4 out of 5
    A boy comes to terms with his new baby sister.
  • Shadows of Silence (2010)
    Review preview for Shadows of Silence

    It is haunting, mysterious.

    Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
    A depressed man living in exile with his young family longs for the culture and homeland he left behind.
  • Shadow Play (2010)
    Review preview for Shadow Play

    Funny stuff.

    Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
    A group of shadow characters embark on a strange adventure.
  • Shame (2005)
    Review preview for Shame

    Claustrophobic and borderline scary.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    Having a sofa to hide behind.
  • Shell (2006)
    Review preview for Shell

    The expectation of desperate passion, or bloody horror, is dashed.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 3.5 out of 5
    A girl, a truck stop, a long way away. Showing at EIFF 2007 - UK Shorts 1
  • She Wanted To Be Burnt (2007)
    Review preview for She Wanted To Be Burnt

    A bold, disturbing and powerful montage.

    Dylan Matthew · 4 out of 5
    A woman wakes to a living nightmare.
  • Shipwreck (2014)
    Review preview for Shipwreck

    On that dock, in that place, the audience are made witness.

    Andrew Robertson · 4.5 out of 5
    A survivor of the 2013 Lampedusa shipwreck walks through a graveyard of shipwrecks and remembers his nightmarish experience.
  • Shirley Clarke: Early Works 1 (2008)
    Review preview for Shirley Clarke: Early Works 1

    A strong selection.

    Chris · 4 out of 5
    Collection of early short films by the acclaimed director.
  • Shok (2015)
    Review preview for Shok

    This tale is carried admirably by young leads Lum Veseli and Andi Bajgora.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    Two boys find their friendship tested as Serbian troops occupy their village.
  • The Shore (2003)
    Review preview for The Shore

    The message is a simple one. Rubbish has its own beauty.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 3 out of 5
    The pristine beauty of the shoreline is altered by the fallout from discarded lives.
  • A Short Film About The Beauty Shop (2006)
    Review preview for A Short Film About The Beauty Shop

    For those of us unfamiliar with their music... it doesn't hold a great deal of interest.

    Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
    Documentary on The Beauty Shop.
  • A Short Guide To Re-entry (2015)
    Review preview for A Short Guide To Re-entry

    It is well observed, constructed, the small moments of and with consequence feel authentic, inescapable.

    Andrew Robertson · 4.5 out of 5
    A man finds it difficult to re-integrate into society following his release from prison.
  • Show Ponies (2005)
    Review preview for Show Ponies

    With limited resources, Jack does well to keep the joke afloat.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 3 out of 5
    Snobbish rivalries at a claymation gymkhana.
  • Siberia (2009)
    Review preview for Siberia

    A documentary of sorts about a documentary out of sorts.

    Andrew Robertson · 5 out of 5
    Memoir of a journey and an ill-fated film shoot in Russia’s Arctic north.
  • Sick Sex (2008)
    Review preview for Sick Sex

    The unlikely phrase, 'a thermos full of warm oysters,' used to describe the supposedly attractive qualities of a feverish vagina, may just give rise to a whole new sexual fetish.

    Anton Bitel · 3.5 out of 5
    The libido blues for an ill girl.
  • Sidewinder (2003)
    Review preview for Sidewinder

    A little long, but never lacking in inspiration.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 3.5 out of 5
    Music video uses sound waves to illustrate the rhythm of drum and bass.
  • Sight (2012)
    Review preview for Sight

    Sight is urgent, immediate, a story spilled out before time can cut it off.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    The story of the filmmaker’s experience with temporary episodes of migraine related blindness and her brother’s blindness later in life.
  • Sight Of The Blind (2005)
    Review preview for Sight Of The Blind

    If there is some hidden message, I must be blind, too, because I certainly couldn't see it.

    Amber Wilkinson · 1 out of 5
    A blind girl lies in bed while a sighted man shaves. Is that all?
  • The Silence Beneath The Bark (2009)
    Review preview for The Silence Beneath The Bark

    The painterly 3D animation style draws the viewer in, so effectively does it depict a fantastical landscape.

    Owen Van Spall · 4 out of 5
    When a tree falls in a forest, two subteranean inhabits go on a journey of discovery.
  • Silence Is Golden (2006)
    Review preview for Silence Is Golden

    If you only see one short film this year - make it this one.

    Amber Wilkinson · 5 out of 5
    A boy's eye view of life with his single mum and a nutty neighbour.
  • The Silence Of Sons (2010)
    Review preview for The Silence Of Sons

    Visually this is one of the best short films at the Edinburgh Film Festival, so distinctive in its appearance that it will leave you wanting more.

    Andrew Robertson · 5 out of 5
    A hoarder manages to obtain a precious cupboard in impoverished Eastern Europe, but the cost may be higher than he imagined.
  • The Silent Village (1943)
    Review preview for The Silent Village

    The film suggests that the story ignites a sense of working class solidarity.

    Rebecca Naughten · 3.5 out of 5
    The true story of the massacre of a small Czech village by the Nazis is retold as if it happened in Wales.
  • Silk (2009)
    Review preview for Silk

    Naheed Raza's film is hypnotic.

    Andrew Robertson · 4.5 out of 5
    The reeling of the Golden Orb Weaver a spider – unique for the golden hue of the web it weaves.
  • Silly Girl (2017)
    Review preview for Silly Girl

    A charming snapshot of teenage life, Silly Girl takes spots and grime and vomit and turns them into a new romantic language.

    Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
    One schoolgirl confesses her feelings to another. Things don't exactly go to plan.
  • Sing Me To Sleep (2010)
    Review preview for Sing Me To Sleep

    Gorgeous scenery and subtle performances.

    Andrew Robertson · 4.5 out of 5
    A man whose elderly mother is ill invents a girlfriend in an attempt to please her.
  • Sink Or Swim (2013)
    Review preview for Sink Or Swim

    A touching, beautifully constructed story.

    Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
    Meditations on swimming and age.
  • Sixty Second Love Story (2003)
    Review preview for Sixty Second Love Story

    Every detail is hilarious.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 5 out of 5
    Unrequited love, self-inflicted pain and a falling star
  • Six Day Run (2013)
    Review preview for Six Day Run

    Unflinching.

    Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
    A documentary about one of the world's most gruelling sporting challenges.

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