Over the next two weeks, we’ll be taking a look at the new short film series from The Current. According to their website, “The Current is 10 attempts at alternative journalistic modes of communication, and 10 never before seen explorations of the news media. A creative supplement in the media landscape. It is entirely free and widely accessible. Based on the idea that our world view originates from our often abstract emotional life, rather than from our rational thoughts, it is our mission to add to news media an extra dimension across the spoken and written word
– doing so via creative and artistic cinematic solutions.” Find the films here.
- We begin the first season with Tinder, a three-minute film from director Kristian Håskjold. The short follows a young man who attempts to woo a lady using the titular app. Håskjold manages to keep the simple premise visually and narratively interesting, and most importantly, he respects the limitations of his chosen format by maintaining a lean, narrow focus. Rating: 9/10.
- Next up is Orthorexia, Christina Amundsen’s two-minute short that explores mental illness in a twisted yet beautiful light. Making use of disjointed camera work and fractured narration, the film creates an oppressive, claustrophobic atmosphere that allows the viewer to feel the subject’s pain. Luise Skov plays the character beautifully, bringing a real sense of obsessiveness and sadness to the role. Rating: 9/10.
- Billy Crystal Fills the Silence, a one-minute film from Brianne Nord-Steward, paints an engrossing but perplexing portrait of war tourism and cultural ignorance. Using only a single shot of a silent character and relying solely on narration for its story, the short covers a lot of ground in very little time – which, although fascinating, could potentially lose the viewer. I had to watch it multiple times in order to fully grasp its meaning. However, even though it may be a little opaque, it’s well worth watching. Rating: 8/10.
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