NYFF 2019: Yorgos Lanthimos Leads A Strong Sampling Of Shorts

While the New York Film Festival has come and gone, there are still amazing films yet to be discussed. Here, in the final report from NYFF 2019, I cover some of the amazing short films I had the opportunity to see – and if you get the chance, I highly recommend it.

Nimic (Yorgos Lanthimos)

Hot of his awards run last year for The Favourite, Yorgos Lanthimos is back with an unconventional return to the short film medium. It is rare to see a film director with such credibility and status return to what is at many times considered the students’ medium – the proof of concept. While many film makers use it for their thesis or as a foot in the door to prove themselves and their ideas, Lanthimos has returned, solidifying the power of the short film for all who dare to embrace it.

Nimic is a mind boggling and deeply psychological look into our perceptions of identity, our place in society and the true lack of differences between each and every one of us. Accompanied by a dramatic score that will have many drawings back to The Favourite, Nimic follows the seemingly mundane life of a nameless man (Matt Dillon). The morning is quiet, words absent between husband and family. The routine is systematic, showcasing how continued repetition has ingrained a permanent lifestyle. There is no unpredictability.

As the nameless man leaves the orchestra rehearsal, traveling on the subway, he asks a fellow passenger if they know the time, the passenger repeating his question back to him after a short pause. As he makes his way home, she follows him, falling into the same rhythm and pattern. As they arrive at home together, she mimics his every movement, speech – everything. As he tries to convince his family that he is theirs, she copies him, him slowly fading away into the imitation. After a duel of sorts to see who truly belongs, viewers are left wondering if there is truly anything that makes an individual stand out or are we all the same?

Do we have only the identity that we identify for ourselves? If we do not clarify and claim our own identity, can we expect others to recognize us? There are deep psychological and philosophical questions Lanthimos poses in Nimic, ones that most times are left to the interpretation of the viewer. There is this strong sense of examining identity throughout the entire film that is clear and concise. We are not so different from one another. We strive for identity and a place in society, yet when the day is done, we are all the same.

There is also a message and an examination of routine. We all have it. But we cannot get lost in the mundanity of life and the religions of actions or you might lose yourself – everything will be over before you know it. You have to make yourself stand out – push to at least attempt to create an identity all your own, one that cannot be easily copied.

Automatic (Emma Doxiadi)

The world we currently live in is a terrifying place, terror and violence threatening our malls, theaters, concerts, schools and neighborhoods. Where the mentality was once “it will never happen here” has morphed into an instantaneous belief that it can happen anywhere. Yet, in a world with a mentality as strong as this one, the fear and a trained mind can take one discovery and run away with it.

Based on true events, two women meet one day in a local neighborhood where one of the women resides. While her more upscale friend seems judgmental at her life choices and the environment she surrounds herself in, she remains carefree and free spirited. Obsessed with social media and capturing every moment, she coincidentally captures more than just a dog that looks similar to a friend of theirs. In the background, stashed behind a motorbike, is rifle.

There is an instant dive into mild hysteria by the women. One wants the photo deleted so they cannot be tied to the discovery, should the owner of the gun come after them for what they have seen or captured. The other woman refuses, thinking they might need it in the future. As they debate their next actions, paranoia begins to set in as they are convinced a man down the street is staring at them, watching to see what they will do.

While this man gets in a taxicab, seemingly having nothing to do with the woman or the gun, the plunge into hysteria and paranoia continues for the woman as they get into a cab, contacting a friend who husband is a local cop. As they are instructed to change cabs in case they are being followed, another man seems to be watching them, starring at them, closing in. Panic and fear now take hold, the young woman holding up in their apartment planning relocating and what could be coming for them as they wait to hear what the police had found.

As the call comes in, there are snippets of the conversation that the audience catches. Hysteria reaches a high point as the word “children” is thrown into the mix, fear that the worst has truly happened. As the short closes out, the young women returning to her home, children run by, a toy rifle in their hands as they embark on classic childhood adventures.

Automatic is a brilliant portrayal of the world we live in, and the fear it has permanently instilled in the minds of citizens around the world. What was once a common place discovery, a toy belonging to a child, has thrusted both these women into an escalating mentality of uncontrollable paranoia and hysteria. Terrorism has ingrained this in is – “See something, say something”. Yet, not everything is as it seems, not everything is the threat we have come to fear.

The mind creates larger images of possibilities of the things we see based on the world around us. What was thought to be an assault rifle was actually a child’s play toy, an internal hysteria shared by two blow way out of proportion – and rightly so.

Mthunzi (Tebogo Malebogo)

We have all heard the stories of the good Samaritan rushing to someone’s aid, only to find themselves in trouble for the help they had provided. It greets an environment of doubt and hesitation, a split second decision-making against what was once a reaction. Mthunzi utilizes the short film medium to examine the reversal of good fortune for a Good Samaritan, how in an instant good will becomes suspicious and accusatory.

For Mthunzi (Nala Khumalo), it is another day, strolling down the road, listening to music. As he makes his way, he notices across the street a woman calling out for someone or something. She appears to be out of sorts, stumbling and clinging to the fence in front of her home. He tries to ignore her, but is pulled into her world as she collapses to the ground and begins to seize. Cautiously, he makes his way over to her, unsure of what to do and what is going on. He does not fully commit to her aid until a member of the household comes out asking what happened and for his help getting her inside.

As he and the young woman bring her into the living room, her seizures stop, though a power outage complicating matters. Calling for Jesse, the young woman must reside to turning the power back on herself, asking the young man to stay in case she has any further seizures. While hesitant, he agrees, finding further use in his presence when the woman awakens and finds comfort in the fact that she is not alone.

Disoriented, she asks him to retrieve her purse for her. Still uncertain about whether his presence is still necessary, he obliges heading up the stairs. Though as he begins he search, he stumbles onto Jesse who has been unable to hear the cries for help with his headphones on. Seeing the woman lying on the floor downstairs, and a young black man searching his home, he comes to his own conclusions, threatening violence on the young man and chasing him out of the house.

The short film provides the perfect platform to provide audiences with a small and short glimpse into the present day situations for good Samaritan’s – especially those of color. The time constraint of the short matches the real timing of events, bringing an authenticity to the short. It is a pungent message, one that resonates and one we have all heard before.

Dia de Festa (Party Day) (Sofia Bost)

Short films give viewers a moment, a glimpse into the life of another individual. There is no back story needed, no preconceived notions to enter with. It is as though viewers have been transformed into a fly, landing on the walls of the homes these random individuals reside, catching them in some of their most difficult and intimate moments. With Dia de Festa (Party Day), we are flies on a wall, witnesses to a struggling single mother as she attempts to throw her daughter a birthday party.

Birthday parties for young children can be a handful on their own, attempting to thematically recreate what the child is into, managing a household of rambunctious and sugared up children. Yet, it can seem overwhelming and nearly impossible when you are constantly pushing against the barriers that seems to hold you back. Financially struggling, the mother is able to acquire a menagerie of items to spruce up her daughter’s day from nearby neighbors – confetti, garland, a birthday sign and a tiara.

While her daughter finds enjoyment in the task of decorating their home, the mother attempts to both bake her daughter an edible cake, all while dealing with the emotional distress from her parents. For reasons unknown, they will not be coming to their granddaughter’s birthday party, rather pulling the mother away from her daughter later that night. Ruminating on her conversation, she forgets the cake, just as a fellow parent arrives, outwardly displaying to others the condition she and her daughter find themselves in.

The loneliness of being a single parent that actress exudes in phenomenal, her vibe resonating off screen boasting the film’s success. The heartbreak of a daughter as she opens the gift intended for her child, seeing the thought and consideration that surpasses her. There is a troubled past for her, one that continues to haunt her as she struggles to survive, to get back on her feet and to provide for her daughter.

Dia de Fiesta (Party Time) is a raw and heartbreaking film that will reach audiences alike, giving a glimpse to a population that many on place expectation and judgement on. There is a hope as the mother continues to push through, yet a desolate purgatory of Loneliness and desperation

Circumplector (Gastón Solnicki)

The world watched in horror as the Notre Dame Cathedral erupted in flames earlier this year, centuries of history, art and architecture engulfed in an unyielding elemental power, darkening the skies and forever changing the landscape of the city of love. Even if rebuilt, it will never be the same. Whether you have ever visited the historical landmark or not, there a piece of your heart crushed as the spire fell into the flames, our attachment to the structure through television, photography and literature crushed.

When you think of the history and items within lost, there are few that would think of those saved – even fewer when the items saved were removed just days before. Circumplector is a peaceful, yet looming short film that pensively combines still life, a woman at work and footage of statues once inside the cathedral filmed just days before the tragic fire.

There is a prophetic nature to the images on screen, the things that survived, along with the memories, laced quickly through the images projected. It is almost as though both the individuals removing the statues and the filmmaker capturing these small bits of film knew that in just days, these images would be forever changed.

There is also a line drawn through time, a time before the fire, as we see on screen, and the ravaging chaos and destruction that followed the spark. What was once peaceful and tranquil was engulfed, the setting never again to be truly as it once was