Who Likes Short Shorts? We Like Short Shorts!

We’re getting small this week at the FIELD OF STREAMS.

Short films are usually the province of festivals and film school, not necessarily for mainstream consumption. One interesting aspect to this brand of filmmaking is there are often short pieces by filmmakers who later went on to success with feature-length movies. It truly is the laboratory of cinema. While most viewers only hear about short films during awards season, thanks to the good folks at Fandor and Vimeo, we can enjoy these works any time.

Sally Hawkins plays a suicide-hotline volunteer in this quiet, desperate film. Released in 2013, The Phone Call presages Hawkins’s amazing work in The Shape of Water and Maudie, but her talent was hard to miss. Jim Broadbent as the voice on the other end does a superb job as well.

Honestly, anything from the Zellner Bros.–and there’s lots to choose from on Fandor–is worth a watch. This particular morsel happens to have been chosen for the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, so it’s got that going for it. While only five minutes in length, Flotsam/Jetsam turns out to be something very different than its initial offering. Their new feature Damsel (out this summer) has a similar trajectory. For fans of Austin film or just independent cinema in general, make sure to check out this body of work.

Some people thought indie-rocker-turned-indie-actor Will Oldham’s extended monologue in A Ghost Story was the best part of that David Lowery film. Those same people will love Pioneer. It doesn’t have the metaphysical, universal-conciousness-maaaan! weirditude of the former, but it showcases this compelling actor in a similar way. This single-scene number features a father telling his son an origin story that must be heard to be believed. It’s sweet, sullen, and grand in scale. It is unmistakably a Lowery film.

This short could have just as easily been titled The Pretentious Hipsters. Two young people with just the right taste attempt to fall in love but can’t help but out-do each other at every turn. This stylized piece features director Ryan Daniel Dobson as one of the potential paramours, playing opposite Kimberly Alexander. A delightful little film that will cause pause next time the subjects of straight-razor shaving or calligraphy are broached.

Bryan Poyser has been making movies in Austin for years, and his shorts are some of his best work. These three selections offer a nice sampling and should prompt the viewer to take up some features afterward. The Fickle features Katie Aselton (The League, Legion) in a conglomerate of morning-afters that combine for a chilling effect. Grammy’s a taut, compact thriller with director Joe Swanberg leading the acting charge. More Than Four Hours is a horror film. Well, for anyone that has taught teenagers, anyway.

This might be the gem of the list. Set inside a group therapy session, Miss This at Your Peril has some genuinely funny moments with some darker ones on display as well. Jimmi Simpson (Westworld) leads a large cast through some amazing one-liners and more than a few tragic life events.

The idea of paying someone to cuddle with you is usually the punchline of a joke, but in Cuddle Buddy, it’s serious business. A lady with some inner turmoil contracts for some human contact, but things get too real, too quick. There are no ha-ha’s in this one, just a muffled cry for help.

Fresh off its SXSW Grand Jury Award, feature-length Thunder Road begs for its short-film progenitor to be consumed. It’s only one scene, but it’s a helluva scene, and nearly identical to the one that opens the feature. A cop played by director Jim Cummings unravels–hilariously so–at his mother’s funeral. There’s a lot going on here.

Vimeo Pro-Tip: When using the Roku Vimeo app, first go to the web site, log in, and select Watch Later on any video. Then on Roku, the saved video will be ready to go. Enjoy!

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