NIGHTSTREAM 2020: Guide To 4 Short Film Must-Sees And Must-Remembers

We love short films, if there is one thing we love, it is a good short film to make you feel… tingly? NIGHTSTREAM has been a fantastic experience thus far. We have been able to catch much of what we desired, but since we were able to catch so much we can’t talk about them separately as we are excited about everything we have seen thus far. We want to be able to cover as much as we can of what we saw, so we will be creating “best of” or “must-see/remember” posts. They will indicate a few things we have seen or watched or participated in that we found to be memorable or that we would love to see in the next one or future festivals. Our second day was filled with SHORTS ON SHORTS.

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These are in NO order nor are they spoiled in ANY way. We tried our best to talk about relevant features without spoiling the entire short for anyone. In the case you want to check these out in the future, we try and get you amped for them instead of spoiling them for you as they are screeners for us, but new and fresh material for you. Thank you for understanding as we try and talk about all of these wonderful pieces of cinema without spoiling them to support the creators and creatives who created them. Note: “star ratings” are personal to our viewing, they are not universal to everyone.

1. 4×6 (Jamie Gyngell)

• Brooklyn Horror
• Nightmare Fuel

In this short film, we find out what it means to develop pictures (…at least to develop pictures from a ghost). Gyngell is able to produce fright in a matter of minutes with the disappearance of the photoshop clerk, turning of the head of the subject in the picture, and the subtle camera angles. The angles are beautiful and the direction is much of the reason the short film is frightening, even if you do not want to be spooked – the camera movement alone is enough to watch it. The added benefit of goosebumps makes this viewing worthwhile.

The official synopsis reads as: “Powered by heavy giallo visual cues, this pint-sized gem follows a collage artist who discovers a truly killer photo.”

2. Przywiazanie [Attachment] (Kasia Babicz)

• North Bend
• Chaos Internal

In this Polish short film, we have infidelity finding its comeuppance. We must disclaimer that this is meant for 18+ as it features sexual intercourse as well as adult themes. As horror should be 18+, we wanted to specify on this short in particular – as international films tend to showcase sexual elements in their filmography (and that is fine by us, but not fine for anyone under 18 just yet!)

The camera work by Babicz was impressive, often times the color palette alone was so breathtaking. However, the use of the extreme close up shots or panning extreme close up shots is quite fascinating. The subtle clues in how the “younger girlfriend” transforms are beautiful (in a horror way). This film was a fascinating exploration of infidelity and guilt as well as the guilt that inevitably catches up.

The official synopsis reads as: “A man moves in with his new, younger girlfriend, but there’s a catch: He’s just left his wife for her. Sometimes, bad karma manifests itself in nightmarish ways.”

3. Bakemono (Sumire Takamatsu, Jorge Lucas)

• The Overlook Film Festival
• Program 1

The Japanese horror film Bakemono gives viewers an opportunity to observe just how terrifying “traditions” can be if they are not appreciated and understood. Japanese horror films have terrified Western audiences for decades. The mise-en-scene, directing, and overall style is incredibly eerie. Typically, you may see films such as Parasite (2019) and Train To Busan (2016) as forms of Japanese horror, but Bakemono is quite next level, even for 10 minutes.

The Grudge (2004) and The Ring (2002) are the most frightening films, and that ghost matches them quite well. The child actor is also quite fantastic in this, I thought much of the reason why this worked was because of the child actor. She reminds you of a time when you didn’t believe in “fairy tales” (when you were that age to stop believing in such) and it is a chilling reminder to always partake in traditions even if you don’t want to.

The official synopsis reads as: “Today is February 3rd, known in Japan as Setsubun. Families celebrate by casting out evil spirits from their homes. But this family’s young daughter has other plans…”

4. Blocks (Bridget Moloney)

• North Bend
• Something Strange

This eleven-minute short is terrifying, in the best way. What I particularly love is a wistful suburban horror movie, no irony intended. As a Black American, I always find cultural horror films fascinating. They explore the fears that are deep in the collective subconscious and uses them for dark humor, to go against this notion of the triumphant survival horror film or an otherwise slasher. It is not about fear of “murder” or “ghost” or “serial killers.” It is the realistic fear of being overworked and overwhelmed with children. The use of the camera is fantastic, there is a tracking shot at the beginning that I absolutely love.

I think Moloney does a fantastic job showcasing the anxiety and the overwhelm in the atmosphere as much as in the characters and the children. It was a nice balance, but one thing I truly adore about Suburban horror films (The ‘Burbs (1989), etc.) is the color palette. It is so colorful and bright and there is an intangible quality about it that makes you feel like you are in a dream-like state. It contrasts nicely with the concept of Suburban and works incredibly well.

The official synopsis reads as: “Overworked and in desperate need of space, a mother inexplicably begins to vomit toy blocks.”