Short Film of the Month: '8' by Acim Vasic

'8' by Acim Vasic from Partizan on Vimeo

I am no expert movie critic. I don't claim to be some film connoisseur. But I do have a thing for finding interesting and well made shorts. In fact, I find a short film to be a lot more enjoyable than most full-length movies and they don't take up nearly as much time. There are a lot out there and several sites where one can find quality flicks.  The two sites I frequent most are vimeo.com and shortoftheweek.com.

Creating a successful short film is, in some ways, harder than a feature-length movie.  They are almost always independently produced and budgets are relatively tiny.  Actors are not always of the highest caliber and a lot of work falls in the laps of a small number of people.  

For these reasons, and many others, it makes finding a really good one very exciting and I hope to post a new one on the last Thursday of every month.

Since we are approaching Veterans Day, I thought this one above, being a military comedy, would be a good start.

'8' by Acim Vasic runs roughly 10 minutes long and doesn't have one word in the script.  Sound and imagery tell the story of two soldiers who cross paths in a setting similar to WWII Bastogne.  It is not laugh out loud funny, but creates a dark humorous tone in a situation that would not be very funny in real life.  There is a bit of a Tom and Jerry-esque battle of the wits between the two soldiers, yet it is accomplished without getting too goofy.  The sound throughout is very crisp and defined, from the crunching of the snow to the heavy breathing of the two men; it helps add to the tension and becomes it's own character in a way. There is also a great appearance by an owl towards the end that is a wonderful little addition.  He is observing the ridiculousness of the showdown and seems to have a real interest in the outcome.

I hope you enjoy this little film as much as I do and I look forward to posting my next short film find in a month.

-Brian