97%
Ben Brand, Netherlands, 2013
In the most usual evening, the most common resident of the megalopolis, Bert, was returning home from work, when suddenly his favorite application called LoveMatch began to signal desperately: hey, Bertje82, we’ve found a person of your dreams, 97% fit to be your companion to the grave, somewhere nearby, just a few meters away, in the same subway as you are. And Bert looked around…
This light lyrical and comic sketch about how modern citizens lose and find each other reminds of the laconic novels of Jos Stelling from the Erotic Tales series. The Dutch have a taste for charming and a bit strange stories where sign language is more important than speech, and the pursuit of a dream is no metaphor but a real adventure, waiting for you in the subway tunnels.
Rhinos
Shimmy Marcus, Ireland – Germany, 2012
Thomas was sitting with a book on the bench when an angry girl sat near him. She had just broken up with her boyfriend because he turned out to be a complete asshole. She is a German tourist in Ireland who does not speak English at all, yet they fell in love with each other. But can such trifles prevent the happiness of two hearts?
The soulful comedy about two radically different people argues that the differences bring us together. The heroes have nothing in common – neither temperament, nor interests, nor even language, but there is mutual tenderness that suddenly came into their lives.
Long Branch
Dane Clark, Linsey Stewart, Canada 2011
They met by chance at the club and immediately, not having found out each other’s names and really anything about each other, merged in a passionate kiss. The desire for violent, dirty sex without commitment covered them with whole and could come to life without a hitch if not for the distance. He lives on the outskirts of the city; it takes two hours at best to get to him, and in the meantime, her mobile phone does not stop: the annoying ex-partner is trying to get through…
The movie was filmed in snowy Canadian landscapes, but it’s surprisingly warm; the short film looks like Crazy Stupid Love featuring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. The feelings are quite whimsical, yet a random romance can be a story for life.
This movie is a lot better if enjoyed together with a person you love. If you don’t have someone like that in your life, then be sure to visit this Ukrainian dating website. You won’t be disappointed.
Death to the Tinman
Ray Tintori, United States, 2007
The cunning pastor hinders the happiness of his daughter Jane with a lumberjack named Bill and puts a terrible spell on the latter’s axe: it has gone out of and turned the owner into a stump. Bill’s best friend, a brilliant and insane engineer, returns him back to life, turning him into a metal mutant. But in his iron’s chest, life is still beating, unlike the meat doll which replaced him with Jane. Will Jane be able to distinguish her real love from the imposter?
The unrestrained surrealist fantasy is inspired by the story of the Tinman from Frank Baum’s fairy tales about the country of Oz, but, as stated in the credits, all names are changed to protect the innocent. And, in fact, the inspiration for this movie was gathered from lots of different places: The Japanese cult of the iron man Tetsuo, and the innovative black and white film experiments of the author of The Shadow of the Vampire, E. Elias Merhige. There are lots of other nods and references in this movie, but we will leave them for you to discover yourself.
Moving Takahashi
Josh Soskin, United States, 2011
You cannot predict the things that your own heart will do. Craig is just a simple loader, who took on the transportation of furniture from a rich bourgeois house, turns out to be the savior of its young mistress who decided to break with the bored luxurious life…
This cleverly arranged, multi-level comedy, inspired by Wes Anderson’s early Bottle Rocket, is full of flip-flops, character’s passion, and violation of the criminal code are treated equally, as our main characters are just simple rebels without a cause. Boyd Holbrooke plays a role in this movie; he is the new rising star of Hollywood and is known for such hits as Behind the Candelabra, The Host, A Walk Among the Tombstones, and Gone Girl.
