Seattle was in shape to party this Labor Day weekend and the fiercest of lightning storms proved unable to stop the rabid fun at Bumbershoot 2015. Though this year’s lineup seemed short on musical prowess (excluding Cake who absolutely blew the top off their set) and big name comedians, their carefully curated One Reel Short Film Festival arrived in tip-top shape, bringing together a pantheon of shorts spanning both the globe and a bevy of genres. As is customary of our coverage, we’ve carefully curated the scoop on Bumbershoot’s 1 Reel Short Film Festival, weighing which shorts demand to be seen down the line in preparation for Oscar season and best of lists and which you can ultimately skip.

The Answers (Michael Goode, USA, 8min.)

’The Answers’ imagines a world wherein immediately after you die, you are presented with the ability to have each and every undying question from your life answered. From extemporaneous queries on life’s near-misses to an embarrassment of personal stats (i.e. “How many times did I masturbate?”), Michael Goode’s delicate short is at once abruptly funny and tenderly heartbreaking. (A-)

Bear Story (Gabriel Osorio, Chile, 11min)

A bear stolen by tyrannical circus owners travels his city conveying his tale to the youth through a mechanical box. Visually arresting though narratively simplistic, ‘Bear Story‘ is sure to capture the minds of young children as well as the hearts of adults.

Best Man Wins (Stéphane Dumonceau, USA, 20min)

A world famous restaurateur with a supermodel wife coordinates his travel plans to align with old-friend and the former best man at his wedding. Intense orchestral music lends suspenseful gravitas to the proceedings and one of the short’s greatest elements is its ability to keep you in the dark for as long as it does so we won’t be revealing anything more plot-wise. A perfectly tense and effortlessly entertaining nugget of cinema that reminds one of the power of the short. (B+)

Bihttoš (Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Canada, 15min)

A stirring amalgamation of water colors and static photography, ‘Bihttoš’ is an as uncommon documentary that explores the relationship between a daughter and her depressive dad. The account is deeply personal, shuffling through old family portraits redefining the lines of objective truth and storytelling while touching on how a history of abuse permeates throughout time and bloodlines. A brave telling though somewhat one-dimensional. Grand Jury Prize, Documentary at SIFF 2015. (C+)

Bunny New Girl (Natalie van den Dungen, Australia, 6min)

The new girl in class comes dressed in a paper-plate bunny mask, leading the other kids to wonder what hides beneath.  A short and tactful message of acceptance lay in ‘Bunny New Girl‘ though its subject matter fails to really challenge one’s assumptions on any substantial level. Pleasant but forgettable (especially in contract with later mentioned Stealth). (C+)

The Chicken (Una Gunjak, Croatia, 15min)

The arrival of a chicken shakes up the lives of six-years-old Selma and her small nuclear family. Living in war-torn Sarajevo in 1993, the lives of the holed-up family at the center of ‘The Chicken’ are quickly though satisfying explored, showing the lengths they’ll go to maintain a sense of normalcy even under a hail of gunfire. Grand Jury Prize, Live Action at SIFF 2015. (B+)

Go Daan Go! (Mari Sanders, Netherlands, 15min)

The son of an ex-champion swimmer shows exceptional talent at the sport, much to the chagrin of his concerned mother who during her tenure as an athlete developed a rather serious heart condition. Daan pursues his dream in spite of said matriarchal concern as Mari Sanders unveils the hereditary nature of both talent and stubbornness. A brisk and charmed sports drama condensed down into a bite-sized cinematic snack. (B)

Hole (Martin Edralin, Canada, 15min)

A severely handicapped man with predilections most won’t anticipate finds himself at the mercy of a nurse who he’s just drunkenly lusted after. Talk about film opening your eyes to subject matter and worldviews you had never even thought of before. ‘Hole’  is sweet, sorrowful and laugh-out loud funny, not to mention extraordinarily brave on the part of lead performer Jen Harrower.  Special Jury Prize at SIFF 2015. (A-)

Lila (Carlos Lascano, Argentina, 9min)

A young woman’s doodles alter the world around her, changing the landscape to fit her idealistic worldview as she pleases. Effervescent and charming with good animation to boot, ‘Lila’ may be too “glass is half full” for some but its dreamy, whimsical pleasantries cannot be shortchanged. (B-)

Listen (Hamy Ramezan, Denmark, 13min)

A Muslim woman recounts her account of domestic abuse at the hands of a devout husband though an unreliable translator sullies the account. ‘Listen’ takes a hard look at the effect of language barriers particularly through the lens of religious zeal and the pain that is not being understood or listened to. By all accounts a chilling, crushing soul-punt, Listen should be considered required world cinema, short or not. (A-)

The Mill at Calder’s End (Kevin McTurk, USA, 14min)

What at first appears to be a weird amalgamation of unholy fluid stop motion with life-like dolls soon reveals itself to be action figure puppets in Kevin McTurk‘s The Mill at Calder’s End. This Victorian-era horror story tells of Nicholas Grimshaw, a sensible man who’s just inherited his family’s cursed mill and intends to break the spell that’s been haunting their family for generations. Done up with smooth lighting and effects that’ll keep you on your toes hunting for strings, The Mill is like an Edgar Allan Poe brought to life. Grand Jury Prize, Animation at SIFF 2015. (B)

Personal Development (Tom Sullivan, Ireland, 15min)

A wry Irish comedy in which a daughter visits her somewhat estranged father. After the unexpected arrival of her “womanhood”, the two abscond to find tampons and ibuprofen, in effect strengthening their bond and making it all the more awkward. Its bittersweet dramatic undertones are interrupted by the laugh-out-loud absurdity of hearing two grown men talk about periods. (B+)

Pik Pik Pik (Dmitry Vysotskiy, Russia, 4min)

A woodpecker allies with a troop of ants when a lumberjack comes in to hack down their home. Nothing short of a Russian “When the Ants Go Marching”, ‘Pik Pik Pik’ is designed for kids though is just charmed enough to crack a smile for adults as well. No dialogue is employed. (C+)

Ray’s Big Idea (Steve Harding-Hill, United Kingdom, 4 min)

A prehistoric fish named Ray hatches a plan to escape the sludge wherein he resides only to discover that the outside world is more frightening than he suspected. The animation is effectively odd, making for a weird animation palette sure to be appreciated by fans of Tim Burton and the like. At only 4 minutes, the thing is certainly short but its appropriately sweet. (B-)

Stealth (Bennett Lasseter, USA, 22min)

A transgender young girl befriends two peers at her new school. Much to her mother’s concern, she attends a sleepover with the girls in which her deepest, darkest secrets come to light. A heart-warming and understanding portrait of a youthful side of LBGT that often goes ignored in cinema, ‘Stealth’ is potent and powerful. (A)

Submarine Sandwich (PES, USA, 2min)

PES repeats himself to lesser effect with Submarine Sandwich. In 2013, his ‘Fresh Guacamole‘ struck a chord and went on to earn an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Short Film and Submarine Sandwich apes that earlier success without bringing anything new to the table. (C)

The Trumpeteer (Raúl Robin Morales, Mexico, 10min)

A military trumpeteer feels trapped in the army’s (literal) one-note marching band and can’t hold back the urge to free style. A cantankerous commanding office won’t stand for such insubordination and sends the trumpeteer to the stockades daily. With its splashy swirls of color and wordless action, The Trumpeteer is reminiscent of Fantasia though is too broad to capture the minds of adults as well as kids. (C+)

Unleaded (Luke Davies, United Kingdom, 8min)

A robbery is interrupted by three stoners looking for papers and munchies. When one such stoner fails to react to intimidation and requests to GTFO (simply due to the fact that he’s wearing earbuds) the thugs grow increasingly confused and frustrated. A winning and briskly humorous jolt of energy. (B)

Walls (Miguel Lopez Beraza, Spain, 10min)

Told from the POV of a run-down Budapest apartment complex, Walls tells of its two favorite tenants: a 92-year old war veteran who’s been shot in both legs and a similarly aged women who is a notoriously excellent cook. Adept at drawing up back in time to an age where immediacy was but a dictionary entry and long gazes from ones porch was smart phone of their time, Walls uncorks nostalgia for a different day and age. (B-)

World of Tomorrow (Don Hertzfeldt, USA, 15min)

Don Hertzfeldt’s lauded gallow’s humor and childish doodles populate the ‘World of Tomorrow’, an distinctive and oddly emotional medication on the future and all that it may hold. As if created in the swirl of a mind-boggling acid trip, Hertzfeldt’s world is an active jambalaya of feelings, thoughts, prognoses, dreams, nightmares and imagines a future where time traveling and cloning is no more uncommon that courting inanimate objects. That Hertzfeldt’s film can be grim, adorable and exhaustingly imaginative all at once is perhaps its greatest feat. (A)

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