Director Yue Ma’s short horror comedy watches a lot like a gory version of “The Stepford Wives.” Much like its predecessor, it’s a movie that centers on domestication and chauvinism, as well as the idealized image of women. All of it is packed with a dark sense of humor, and some great turning of the tables. Much of “Satisfaction Guaranteed” garners an admirably dark sense of humor with a satirical and warped tone from beginning to end.
Tag Archives: Indie Film
Fever (2022)
Director Brian K. Rosenthal’s “Fever” is a short but sweet spooky tale that uses a parent’s anxiety against them. He accentuates the anxiety with the introduction of a spooky creature, one that has absolute feature length potential. Fingers crossed. “Fever” does what most spooky stories do by taking a real world anxiety and completely elevates it in to a horrifying tale.
My Eyes Are Up Here (2022)
Director Nathan Morris’ “My Eyes Are Up Here” is the kind of romantic comedy film that you don’t see often in the mainstream. It’s a short that I really wanted more of, because his short, clocking in at fourteen minutes, feels like the prologue to a very funny, and quite sweet tale of two people who find destiny after a drunken night in bed. “My Eyes Are Up Here” is a very sweet and entertaining slice of life that works toward subverting and breaking a lot of preconceived notions about the disabled.
The Unknowable (2022)
Whatever you feel about horror or cosmic horror, you can never realty accuse director Zach Donohue of being unambitious. “The Unknowable” is a richly constructed horror film that takes influence from sub-genres like lo-fi horror and true crime documentaries for one of the more unnerving horror films I’ve seen in a while. Its H.P. Lovecraft meets Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, with a touch of David Cronenberg for good measure.
Charlie and the Hunt (2022) [Slamdance 2023]
UNSTOPPABLE SHORTS BLOCK 2
If you’re looking for a break from the heavier and political fare at “Slamdance,” Jenn Shaw’s “Charlie and the Hunt” is the perfect antidote. It’s rare that there are such wholesome shorts featured and it’s nice to see something a lot more about whimsy and the relationships that we hold near and dear to our hearts.
Diomysus (2022) [Slamdance 2023]
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS BLOCK
Emily Morus-Jones’ documentary short is an absurdist and colorful look at a subset of society that is often misunderstood and demonized by the public. She emphasizes the inherent prejudice of said subset by exploring their world through mice. Mice are some of the more misunderstood animals and through great puppetry, we learn about the lifestyles of the polyamorous.
Jenna Has to Live (2022) [Slamdance 2023]
UNSTOPPABLE SHORTS BLOCK 1
Director Katie Hopkins’ “Jenna Has to Live” is a striking look in to the catastrophic health system in America and how the price of medications for the diabetic has them dangling on the verge of death. I think that there’s a ton of room for movies of this ilk, as it presents a gut wrenching look in to the way high prices in America has effectively altered our lives, even those that have barely started theirs.