by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer

The shorts programs at the Tribeca Film Festival are uniformly strong and this year’s program was no exception. Here is a rundown of ten memorable shorts that are screening at this year’s fest. 

A Rose for Katrina
Written and Directed by Harry Quinlan
Runtime 9 minutes

Bravo to writer/director Harry Quinlan for his audacious short. Michael (Ben Ilobuchi) arrives with rose in hand to meet Katrina (Megan Smart) for a date. But Quinlan creates a knotty scenario with various characters in the house where Michael arrives having conversations that obfuscate Michael who seems to have only good intentions. With overlapping dialogue, and a voyeuristic circling camera, Quinlan makes Michael’s simple plan far more complicated, intriguing, and frustrating that it should be. And therein lies the beauty of this nine-minute short; it immerses viewers in this situation, generating the same emotions Michael experiences. 

The HongFu Hotel
Written by Tian Xu, Michael Ben-Iftah Nutovits, Bing Xu and Jacob Vaus
Directed by Tian Xu
Runtime 19 minutes

The Hongfu Hotel is a stylish, noir-tinged short that has Feng (Kevin Dang) reluctantly visiting his father, Chan (Zhu-Sheng-Yin) at the titular establishment that has been in the family for decades. As Chan wants Feng to sign papers of ownership—the hotel is scheduled to be demolished—Feng pays one last visit to the ghosts in the building, including his Auntie Mei (voiced by Christine Liao), and his Grandpa (voiced by Zhu-Sheng-Yin). Writer/director Tian Xu renders striking visuals—Mei’s floating face is especially nifty, as is Ma (voiced by director Tian Xu) a gangster Feng encounters in the elevator. The film features Buddhist myth and raises points about legacy and family while depicting Feng’s efforts to forge his own path in life. 

Complications
Written by Erik Ivar Sæther
Directed by Ivar Aase
Runtime 14 minutes

Complications is an intense but involving short about Lotte (Anna Ladegaard) a student who works as a webcam dominatrix. When a session with her client Arne (Sven Henriksen) hits a complication, Lotte reevaluates her life and her relationship with Arne. This strong film engages as Lotte’s anxiety escalates as she considers not only her future, but Arne’s future as well as the possible future they will have together. But its real strength is making viewers care about these characters who care about each other.

Nea
Written and Directed by Alex Ulises & Nelson G. Navarrete
Runtime 22 minutes

The title Nea is short for “gonorrhea,” which the street smart Medellín taxi driver Peluche (Julián Sánchez Jiménez) explains to viewers means, “a despicable person,” or “a bad situation”—like racing a man bleeding out in his back seat of his cab to the hospital, as he does early on in this propulsive short. Peluche is asked to deal with Mauricio (Anyelo Steven Mazón), who beats his wife, and fix a broken air conditioner for Don Rafa (Jorge E. Mejía). He also gets into a car accident that prevents him from getting his daughter from school. Is Peluche a Nea? Audiences can decide for themselves—such is the beauty of this gritty short—as viewers feel for Peluche as he experiences an increasingly bad night into morning.

Passarinho
Written by Gerardo Lechuga & Natalia García Agraz
Directed by Natalia García Agraz
Runtime 12 minutes

Passarinho starts out stressful with Olivia (Camila Robertson) trying to direct her harried mother, Carmen (Naomy Romo) on their way to a soccer game. Olivia has hatched a secret plan to meet the goalie, Passarinho (Mawuena Kokou Anthony), who is about to retire. However, complications ensue. First there is an accident, and then Olivia gets her first period. Yet director and cowriter Natalia García Agraz makes Passarinho a sweet and comic short as Carmen finds a way to ameliorate her daughter’s frustrations. 

Jane Austen’s Period Drama
Written and Directed by Julia Aks and Steve Pinder
Runtime 13 minutes

Likewise, Jane Austen’s Period Drama provides chuckles as it mocks both the heritage genre and how women’s menstruation is not to be discussed. Essy Talbot (cowriter/codirected Julia Aks) is eager to betrothed to Mr. Dickley (Lachlan Ta’imua Hanemann), but an unfortunate visit from Aunt Flo concerns him; Dickley thinks Essy has been wounded. While Essy’s sister, Labinia (Samantha Smart) urges her sibling not to reveal her “women’s business,” Essy feels her suitor can handle the truth. Jane Austen’s Period Drama has fun speaking about what is not meant to be spoken about and the cast all lean into the comedy. (The character names are great). This is a clever short that makes the most of its one-joke premise. 

Check out MovieJawn staff writer, Liz Wiest’s interview with writing/directing duo Julia Aks and Steve Pinder here

Perfect Ten
Written and Directed by Alyssa Litman
Runtime 12 minutes

Perfect Ten is a sweet revenge story about Taylor (Taylor MIsiak) whose date with Jeffrey (Nicholas D’Agosto) ten years ago didn’t go as planned. Determined to catch the one that got away, Taylor contrives to take Jeffrey up on his comment that they would be perfect ten years later. But that meeting doesn’t quite go as planned either, and comedy ensues. Misiak delivers a performance that is just manic enough to be funny, while D’Agosto plays well against her as Jeffrey. Based on a true story, this cringe comedy will resonate with far too many viewers.  

Dirty Towel
Written by Callie Carpinteri, Emma Parks
Directed by Callie Carpinteri
Runtime 13 minutes

Dirty Towel is a short that feels like a PSA as Elizabeth (Laura Coover) teaches her daughter Charlie (Laurel Nail as a young girl; Emma Parks as a young adult) that her body “is a towel,” and sex will make that towel dirty. Moreover, it will remain dirty forever. When Charlie hooks up with her boyfriend Jack (Ben Krieger), she tries to keep having sex a secret from her mother. But guilt has its way of making Charlie hear things that may not have been said. When Charlie dirties an actual towel, her feelings get the best of her. Dirty Towel, cowritten by Parks and director Callie Carpinteri generates its tension as Charlie decides how to handle her mother’s judgment. The film deftly addresses issues young women face when it comes to issues of purity.

Camping in Paradise
Written and Directed by Eirik Tveiten
Runtime 24 minutes

Camping in Paradise is an amusing short about Christian (Espen Alknes) who drives off the road when his wife Pernille (Oddrun Valestrand) gets frisky in the car. They are rescued by Viggo (Stig Henrik Hoff) who takes them to a nudist camp. The free spirited Viggo introduces the couple to wife Jenny (Mona Grenne), when he invites Christian and Pernille for dinner and a sauna, but Christian is uncomfortable. His distress escalates when Pernille lets her hair down and takes off her clothes. However, the real trouble starts when Christian himself gets naked, setting off a series of comic misadventures. Camping in Paradise may be skin deep in presenting issues about bodies and shaming, but the performers are game in this cheeky comedy.

Favourites
Written by Nick Russell, Nick Musgrove
Directed by Nick Russell
Runtime 5 minutes

The setup of the 5-minute-long short, Favourites, has two snake-bitten kids, one dose of antivenom, and a parent who decides who gets to live and dies. Director Nick Russel. who cowrote the film with Nick Musgrove, makes everyone feel awkward as this film delivers both a sucker punch and a darkly funny punchline.