httpvh://youtu.be/Xd-GH-NIVGM
One of Cambridge Film Festival’s finest qualities is the diversity which it holds, appealing to all walks of life. Action, drama, horror, documentary; if you can dream the genre, it’s included. One of the spectacles of this year’s festival has to be the spectacular Short Fusion: Motion: a divine selection of short films encapsulating motion, both physically, and emotionally. The Motion series is gripping, timeless, brilliant, and what makes it so is the variation and pace of each short: profoundly intertwining to create a fusion of film that is truly breathtaking.
THE TIMEKEEPER offers a stunningly delicate diegetic soundtrack. Set primarily in the office of a timekeeper, analogue clocks tick their way through the film, offering a sense of comfort and nostalgia that anyone, young or old, can appreciate. Intricate cinematography and a carefully crafted narrative combined with the score make this short something truly special, portraying the implications of generosity and selfishness in a sophisticated manner that would be hard to replicate.
Adrenaline pumping with a side of swoon, GROUP B tears through the return to racing for a rally car driver, plagued by the memory of an accident an undisclosed time ago. Unfortunately a reasonably well established cast, including Richard Madden and Michael Smiley, fantastic framing of each shot, and clearly meticulous planning in pre-production, cannot detract from the way the narrative reciprocates Maverick and Goose from 1986 classic TOP GUN. Despite a jubilant ending, this similarity seems to overshadow a short that has been so well crafted, focussing on a battle over mind and matter.
… visually offensive, yet spectacular …
Diversity comes in the form of a short that is visually offensive, yet spectacular. MEATBALL BOOM, intricately produced by director Tanioka Akihiro on a single 16mm film reel, is a piece of childishly appealing cinema to be relished. Overlaid is a soft acoustic soundtrack to a visual that would not look out of place blasting through a club to violent EDM, but all the better for it. Three minutes of genius.
The MOTION series offers something for everyone with the final two shorts. SKATEBOARDING’S FIRST WAVE explores the rise and decline of skateboarding’s first heroes in California back in the 1960s. Complete with archive footage in a classic documentary style, the Palisades Skateboard Team are the subjects for a documentary broadcasting exuberant recklessness that is a joy to watch.
MAMA AGATHA is the final, and second documentary-style short of the MOTION fusion. Feel-good vibes explode out of the narrative, and it holds a subject and storyline that powerfully advocates feminism and kindness. What MAMA AGATHA lacks in technicality certainly makes up for in heart and soul, whilst covering much more than simply learning to ride a bike.
Motion explores various degrees of pace and movement. However, each short in this sequence is profoundly emotive, varying in style and subject matter: all of which are deserving of a place under this title. A fantastically moving series to be greeted with eyes wide open.
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