Continuing with this year’s short film programme, TRATTORIA, along with ROBYN O (14) and EARLY BIRDS were introduced as a collection with “standout appeal”, raising high expectations from the audience with this medley of Flemish, Dutch, French and German cinema.

Opening proceedings was EARLY BIRDS. From this particular piece, it was hard to gauge why we had been promised something special from these three shorts. Despite being fantastically shot, with an especially good range of cinematic views from the camera work, the storyline  of EARLY BIRDS lacked integrity and it was difficult to generate an emotional connection with the characters on screen.

… [not] for those with high blood pressure, or a heart condition, or of an emotional disposition …

ROBYN O, (14), offered much more for the audience compared to its predecessor. This Dutch film was a foul (for all the right reasons) representation of the life of any young girl who has felt out of place amongst a family dominated by brothers. Although ROBYN O holds a lot more conviction than EARLY BIRDS, it is in some ways a trip at the final hurdle, which could and should have been a full feature film. ROBYN O had all the ingredients to make a full feature work, but was condensed into a rushed 27 minutes. ROBYN O turns quite dark and isn’t for those with high blood pressure, or a heart condition, or of an emotional disposition.

Concluding proceedings was the fabulous TRATTORIA. Through the dark and musky atmosphere of a chaotic German street, the audience is led into a world of family business and corruption as the intriguing world of business protection and gang-land connections is disturbingly apparent. Set primarily in an Italian restaurant, TRATTORIA uncovers a heartwarming family story between daughter and long-lost father whose blissful unawareness of the situation adds to the tense finale, and a world in which the “Boss” should have long left behind. TRATTORIA is a cinematic spectacle conveying so much in a perfect 40 minutes of film.