Always glad to revisit Hillman Curtis. I watched all of the short films, and as per usual Mr. Curtis did not disappoint. I just love how well thought out his narrative, style, and script is in each short clip. He successfully tells a story in a short 2-5 minutes without losing the audience, or missing the plot.
I think sometimes this is an undervalued talent. Time is always valuable, but how skillful must you be to tell a story via film in a 2 minute clip. A simple story maybe, but Hillman Curtis tackles very deep issues in these short films. Spirituality, family, relationships, trust… I think Bridge, Circles, and Spinal Tap were my three favorite.
Circles was brilliant to tackle the afterlife. A spiritual belief discussion, set in a workplace, explained through circles, with camera tricks to make you believe you are seeing something that you might not actually be. None of the above seem compatible if you think of them in relation to each other…yet the short film is very successful and more importantly…very powerful.
Spinal Tap is a spectrum of emotions. Joking, laughing, friendship, a relaxed happy hour at the bar, a serious conversation about death, family relationships, consoling a friend, anger, and then joking again…maybe even some embarrassment thrown into the bag. An 8 minute and 50 second emotional roller coaster, in which the audience feels like they might be with the pair in the bar…listening to the story (experiencing the story) first hand. It’s incredible really.