First, the Recap:
What is it to truly express who you are? To genuinely BE yourself, unafraid, willing to put it all out there for the sake of discovering whatever aspirations you strive for no matter what others might say? It might be the designs of the creative mind, finding the means to utilize visuals as a narrative that speaks its own language even as you attempt to rekindle your own. Perhaps it is the ever-present longing for seeking “the one”, that relationship with another that will become love’s lasting bond. Maybe it formulates from a desire to help that turns into a hobby that could be ideally passed down to other generations that will keep your own legacy alive. Or it could come down to the basics of life in fulfilling the dream of owning one’s own residence–but only if the apparently elusive, even virtually impossible ability to afford it is found in desperately needed change. This IS actuality. And these ARE true stories.
Next, my Mind:
This critic has said it a multitude of instances before, and once more, it remains a more than reasonable statement–sometimes, there’s nothing more poignant, evocative, and so often NECESSARY than witnessing the reminders of what we should always acknowledge as real life and the facts, inspirations, and grounded realities it affords those who would harken to its call. Such is the atmosphere I felt was created through the four indie short film efforts that made up the “True Stories” block of the 2021 Art of Brooklyn Film Festival. Slices of varied facets that make up the very world we call home, addressing multiple thematic elements with poise and intent, the cinematic adventure we were taken on spoke volumes to me, both as a critic and as a person. This is the constant beauty found within the independent film community around the world, and a further testimony of why this oft-ignored genre of film needs more recognition and exposure, as whether through fiction or non-fiction, it almost always
In Nick Ravich and Danielle Brock’s “Meriem Bennani: In Between Languages” the depths of one’s own heritage and the literal challenges of considering English a second language while then striving to regain the love of one’s original tongue as seen through the eyes of Moroccan-born but U.S.-based visual artist Meriem Bennani as she utilizes an eccentrically inventive mindset to weave experimental adventures featuring live action and animation all while exploring concepts of immigration, diaspora, and her own cultural articulation via her chosen art. In Breanne Krause’s “Love Locked”, two wonderfully entertaining hosts, Elliot Hadley and Kane Surry, take us through a unique and wholly fun romp that features three couples, blind dates mind you, placed in an escape room that requires solving in an hour–while also revealing whether two strangers might actually find a love that could have its beginnings here and carry forward into further consideration. The results are decidedly hilarious and heartfelt to watch and does shine an interesting light on the notion of people connecting.
Moving to Matt Tyson’s “Cat Man Do” (a pleasantly witty play on words, I felt), we are privy to the realms of Apalachicola, Florida’s lifelong resident George Watkins, who has for many a year now chosen to adopt a rather simple yet distinctive, time/labor-intensive hobby–taking care of the town’s bevy of feral cats. Yet, in doing so, we see the wonder, satisfaction, contentment, and honest motivational quality that’s found when one person makes a choice to help those less fortunate in a different yet lasting way–something we could learn MUCH from, much less put into practice MUCH more. Then a dose of a reality we don’t always wish to face when searching for a home–being priced out–and hence we have Dyan Ruiz and Joseph Smooke’s film of the same name that chooses to utilize animation to follow the plight of a couple, Riley and Curtis, as they find out about the ugly side of San Francisco’s housing market while then trying to champion the absolute need for deregulation and better priorities from leaders to see the trend shift to everyone’s benefit.
So, in total, and as implied above, all of these efforts do such a perfectly uncomplicated, highly effective job at grabbing your attention for their short runtimes then fill you with a sense of not just enjoyment, but education, awareness, and foundational “food for thought” moments and ideas. This once more is the nature of indie cinema for this critic, utterly relevent to the times we live in, providing us a jolt of realism and authenticity that I find motivating, and hopefully inciting within us all the desire to make our own marks on this world in a manner that does indeed aid us all.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
