It reads like a particularly knotty math problem: 428 short films submitted from 36 different countries, with the 10 final selections screening 532 times in 173 cities across five continents over one week. But those numbers are actually the vital statistics for the 12th year of the Manhattan Short Film Festival, a collection of pocket-sized flicks currently making the rounds looking for your vote. The idea is you attend, watch, then choose your favorite. It's democracy in action! And feel free to visit msfilmfest.com if this little cheat sheet isn't helpful enough for you. Just don't let me find out, or I'll be so mad.
The lone American hopeful is "The Boundary," a charged piece about racial profiling in this post-9/11 world. Alexander Siddiq ("Syriana") turns in a compelling performance as a man of Middle Eastern descent stopped at the US border with his wife and child, his interrogation at the hands of black and Latino officers adding a fascinating dimension to the detainment. "Skhizein" is the Greek word for "split," as well as the title of some velvety French animation about an unfortunate man adjusting to living his life 91 centimeters away from himself after being struck by a 150-ton meteorite. We get further drawn into the surreal tale when the man hopes to correct things by putting himself in the way of a second meteorite. Not an asteroid. It's totally different.
Bragging rights this year go to the Kingdom of Spain, represented by two finalists. The deftly shot "Parking" follows a bossy yuppie jerk who has his priorities reordered for him when he encounters a persistent car thief who seems to share his sense of entitlement. Winner of the Spanish Oscar for Best Short Film, "Miente" is a gripping drama that explores the world of human trafficking through the story of a resourceful prostitute determined not to let her 15-year-old sister in Bulgaria suffer the same fate. The gifted Sveta Zhukovska portrays our heroine, her wide doll face offering no clue as to the toughness simmering beneath the delicate exterior.
Luscious cinematography showcasing the bright azure of the Tyrrhenian Sea off the northern coast of Sicily is but one of the highlights of Italy's "A'Mare," which watches what happens when a pair of young boys in a boat find an unconscious man but lose their oar. The two brothers are natural-born actors, and the denouement is as cryptic as it is satisfying. Anyone who has ever gotten ready for an evening out only to fret over their perceived flaws will appreciate the Australian fantasy "Plastic." As a woman prepares for her date she realizes that she can literally mold herself into the alleged ideal, leading to a very welcome message about acceptance...not by others, but of yourself.
Israel's alternately silly and scary "Lashabiya" features a tense showdown in a schoolyard that goes way beyond mere child's play. A game of "Red Light, Green Light" between a Palestinian man and a cadre of Israeli soldiers seems to be a metaphor for the mob mentality versus meaningful one-on-one dialogue. A cheeky British fireplug of a kid with troublemaking eyes steals "Hammerhead," a comedy that observes as young Boris deals with divorce as well as his mum's new girlfriend. Boris's unwillingness to see the whole picture is symbolized by the fragmented view from his hammerhead goggles, which everyone agrees are nifty but painful.
As for my favorites, I've settled on two. Hailing from the country of the same name, "Mozambique" is a touching and hopeful documentary by teenager Alcides Soares about his efforts to reunite with his siblings after Africa's rampant AIDS epidemic left them orphans. Taught to operate a camera by American industry pros, Soares shows abundant promise as a filmmaker and even more as a human being, his compassion clearly visible through the lens. But my vote goes to Sweden's adorably absurd "Love Child," in which a platinum-blonde moppet copes with feeling left out once her parents begin lavishing loads of attention on the family's new cat. And though 5-year-old Tindra Nordgen is quite the find, the shot of her walking in on her parents teaching the bow-tied feline how to walk was the decider, capped by the look of guilty shock on the faces of all involved, including, somehow, the cat.
Manhattan Short Film Festival
Screens Saturday 9/26 at The Little