It is entirely appropriate that an international festival held in Toronto would take an opportunity to feature Canadian films, directors, actors, and settings. “The Power Within: Canadian Shorts Program” at imagineNATIVE 2013 is an exciting line-up of short pieces by established and up-and-coming Canadian filmmakers alike, and these films are as diverse in theme and structure as the people who make up this great country.
Micta
Director: Elisa Moar
Country: Canada
Runtime: 2 min
Rating: NR
Micta is a visual homage to the 1943 French novella Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince), centred on the iconic line, “This is useful because it is beautiful”. The piece does not make any attempt to convey narrative or plot, but simply shows beautiful images that appear in tandem with pretty piano music. The colourful images and light music are a perfect match, appearing as if they were created to be shown together. The result is an appropriately short and simple work that is lovely to watch and imbues a sense of joy and calm. As stated in the book that it celebrates, this work “is useful because it is beautiful,” and that it truly is.
Overall Rating: 4 / 5
Totem
Director: Travis Shilling
Country: Canada
Runtime: 4 min
Rating: 14A
Totem is a simple piece from the perspective of a dead bird. This work is actually a sad and gently humourous poem that is related along with lovely guitar accompaniment and haunting visuals created to enhance the stark spoken words. Only a few different shots are present, and the focus remains on the themes of death relayed in the words of the poem. Although simplicity can be an asset, this work unfortunately lacks a certain depth. I believe the piece could work brilliantly as a live art exhibit, but as film, it requires something more.
Overall Rating: 2.5 / 5
Sight
Director: Thirza Cuthand
Country: Canada
Runtime: 4 min
Rating: 14A
In another non-traditional film, Sight, director Thirza Cuthand uses felt-tip marker to obscure grainy Super 8 footage and mimic the experience of blindness. The audience can easily empathize with the narrator as she discusses this affliction, since we are experiencing a version of it ourselves. The strong narrative voice uses a personal story to introduce a frank discussion of mental illness, relating it to sight disorders; as she says, “Both sight and sanity are transient”. The pairing of the personal voice-over with the muddled images allow these elements to work together to truly place a viewer in the position of the narrator, as we see what she sees while hearing what she thinks. The result is a fascinating and highly illuminating work on the always-potent theme of mental illness.
Overall Rating: 4 / 5
Pilgrims
Director: Marie Clements
Country: Canada
Runtime: 7 min
Rating: 14A
The unsettling music and washed-out lighting that opens Pilgrims sets the tone for the remainder of this short film that tells the story of a man’s troubled relationship with the ocean. Shots from several different scenes featuring the individual intertwine, leading the fast-paced film towards its ultimate crisis through flashbacks and flashforwards. Unlike the previous shorts, this film attempts to convey an actual narrative as opposed to simply expressing a feeling or idea. However, the disjointed shots that work so well in experimental pieces confuse the plot of this film and render it hard to follow. The symbolism is present, but working it all out in this brief timespan certainly presents a challenge.
Overall Rating: 2.5 / 5
