SXSW Film Reviews

Shorts Program One

"Shorts Program One" is like one of those behemoth gift baskets your father's business partner sends every Christmas. No human being with a trace of dignity could possibly ingest it all. There's just too much cinematic goodness wrapped behind the cellophane. From the shotgun start of the hysterical "Delusions in Modern Primitivism" (a bizarre study in bullet hole body art by Daniel Loflin) to a joyous ride through the self-effacing innocence of Nick Gibbons' "The Art Piece," this inspired program is an inventive and deeply emotional compilation that not only works psychologically but also resonates across gender, age, and sexual orientation. And while some of these fledgling filmmakers trip over the usual garden rake of sound issues (Brian Sawyer's "Tex: The Passive-Aggressive Gunslinger") and lighting misfortunes, the majority trump such things with the most critical component for any film -- a cohesive story. Magically, tales like Carl Pfirman's "The Confession" and Mark Feldstein and Brad Roth's "The Swinger" rush forward as if carried on the back of an animated helicopter, flinging the senses into the far reaches of performance, slapstick, and drama. (Dobie 2, 3/17, 3pm)