- Despite coming from such a strong animation background, French filmmaker Loïc Bramoullé seems to draw up a rather lifeless character in Space Cat Hob. The six-minute short follows the titular astrokitty Hob, whose spaceship crash-lands on an alien planet. Although the world around Hob is lovingly crafted and stunningly beautiful, the cat’s misproportioned body and face straight out of the uncanny valley rip the viewer out of the lush environment. However, the biggest disappointment is the lack of motivation for the character’s arc. Despite this, the film is worth a watch, if only for the impeccable atmospheric visuals. The short can be found here.
- Significantly more enjoyable is Miranda July’s ten-minute Somebody. It starts with a delightfully simple concept – an app that allows you to send messages by text that are then delivered in person by total strangers – and takes it to hilarious extremes. If the short seems like an advertisement for the app, it is – July actually created it with help from Miu Miu, and it’s available for download now for the iPhone. Take a look at the film here.
- For a starkly more realistic film, check out Tyler, a four-minute short from Sam Benenati. The film follows a little boy who develops a crush on his older brother’s girlfriend. Although the cinematography is gripping, the true strength of the piece lies in the little boy’s chemistry with the rest of his family. It’s short, sweet and utterly charming. Find it here.
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