Creative Guts Shorts Festival Wrap-Up

I'd never heard of Creative Guts until I looked more closely at the poster for this short film festival the morning before it took place. I hadn't thought about the name or who was putting on the event, figuring it was simply chosen by the organizers to pay tribute to those who take the risk and put themselves out there. What I did know is it spoke to my interests, and was coming to the nearby non-profit indie theater I frequent, Red River Theatres. No sooner did I see the event listing than I added it to my calendar. A chance to see a bunch of shorts made by local filmmakers on micro-budgets? Sounds like a fantastic evening.

And it was! The place was packed, audience members damn near filling their biggest theater. There were a lot more young people than I've come to expect at such events, although it was well attended by all ages (save for young children, due to adult themes and language). The lobby was full of popcorn and drinks, and I even ran into some people I know from other walks of life. It was exactly the type of atmosphere you want, moviegoers abuzz with anticipation, not quite knowing what to expect. Even more so as we only knew the names of the films to be featured until being handed a paper program as we walked in the door.

All told, nineteen were shown, mostly made by filmmakers in the New England area. Some even featured scenes shot in Concord itself, and many saw cars with Massachusetts plates. Most were made in the past few years, although one was made at Keene State University back in 1984. Most were in English, although one was in French. They ranged from fifteen minutes to less than five. Which is to say they represent a huge diversity in approaches and backgrounds.

As always with these wrap-ups, I'll forgo a full ranking to instead highlight those I particularly enjoyed. Especially in this case: even the films that didn't work for me represent vulnerability and passion, and each filmmaker deserves all the encouragement in the world.

I've included links and more info when possible, but there's precious little to be found online for most, so apologies for any oversights.

Zeppo!

This was easily my favorite. It was incredibly funny, despite the (near) complete lack of dialog. The animation was a crude yet very deliberate and full of life, and the character designs were all over the place, invoking an abstract world which was uninterested in grounding itself. And yet, through multiple callbacks to an event at the very beginning woven throughout the ten minute runtime, director Noah Mauchly managed to tell a touching tale of grief, of aimlessness, and of accepting what's in front of you in order to find your place in life, even when it might not be what you'd expected.

Karl: The Hitch Hiking Robot

A perfect replication of the early days of YouTube comedy, when no one knew what worked and off-beat, surreal comedy ruled the day. It's a tone and style which comes naturally to the internet native generations, so it should be no surprise that this resonated with me. It was bananas in just the right way, leaning hard into the DIY aesthetic, heightening the stilted and almost unsettling dialog, telling of the connection between a hitchhiking robot and the driver he spends the most time with, as well as the cider drink she loves. I greatly appreciate when a film knows its limitations or even turns them to its advantage, and this is a shining example.

Just You and Me

The sole entry shot on film, as it was made forty years ago. Narratively, it's also the most purely cinematic: it's earnest and serious, but doesn't have any message or deeper point or personal connection. It's simply a well done film noir with its tale of a man tasked with killing his best friend in order to run away with his wife. The performances are good, and the execution pulled off marvelously through the shot selection and editing and dialog. That the film has somewhat degraded over time lends this otherworldly quality to it, making ti feel like someone's home movie we were never meant to find.

Poison Ivy

A goofy little film that worked on me far more than it should have. It's just a man on a makeshift stage singing to senior citizens about keeping his dog out of poison ivy and complaining about his wife constantly being on her phone, all sung to the tune of "The Barber of Seville". Even better is that the editing plus the cheesy tape player and the way things start breaking drive home that even in the world this man inhabits, what's he's doing is bizarre.