Student Live Action Shorts: A Bright Future for Film
Written by Dylan Randall-Newberg. Photo courtesy of IMDb.
“Where No One Lives” was a simple yet elegant portrait of three women grappling with the gray space between independence and loneliness. One left her family, one was left behind and the third is still defining how to exist in her family at the age of 60. With contemporary elegance and beautiful cinematography, “Where No One Lives” was beautifully crafted.
“The Wild Abyss” was a timeless portrayal of the childlike wonder that accompanies intellectual ventures, and one man’s fulfillment of his American dream. Avoiding clichés with a sprinkling of humor, “The Wild Abyss” shows how our simple dreamer found his way to the top of his field.
“Avalanches” followed a men’s lacrosse team through locker room talks, drunken campfires and Friday night lights. This film exposed the demons that lie beneath the American high school experience. Director Liz Lian handled this difficult topic with grace and shed some much-needed light on a topic that has gone untouched for too long.
“Darkside” gives a bone-chilling look into how far we will go for those we love. With phenomenal cinematography, the wonder and danger of the cosmos are exceptionally communicated.
“The Promised Land” explored family expectations in a new light. Following a student from Thailand studying abroad in the United States, the effects of physical and emotional distance within his family bubbled to the surface.
How far will we go when we are living in fear? The short film “Maayanagri (A City of Dreams)” explored how we escape the inescapable. The film follows a young man as he tries to fight his way out of a vicious cycle of violence and vices. With expert acting and phenomenal production, this film shows that student work is not to be missed.
