By Sam Schrader
I had the pleasure of seeing the third block of shorts at the 43rd Portland International Film Festival with Charlie Faulker. This was the first screening I attended since the COVID 19 situation really picked up, and the last event PIFF held before cancelling the festival due to concerns of unnecessary exposure (more on this in my impending festival report). This is the only shorts block I was able to attend, but from what I’ve heard from other students in the class, the fact that these films worked well together and (with one glaring exception) were all good in their own ways, seems to be somewhat of an exception this year. Apparently, between technical difficulties, poor programming, and poor film choices, the previous two shorts blocks have been pretty underwhelming.
Of the eight total films, all but one were a triumph. For the most part, the films were experimental to various degrees; shot across various mediums, from high end digital images, to 16mm and archival footage. The variation in formats was fun since the films were split up such that a change in format (often heralded by the curtains beside the screen expanding or contracting to fit a new aspect ratio) would provide a fun interruption in the monotony that can manifest from time to time during an hour and a half of short films, no matter how good they are.
The real standout film of the night, in terms of excellence, was Emily Vey Duke and Cooper Battersby’s You Were an Amazement on the Day You Were Born (2019, 33mins), from the United States. This film, also the longest in the shorts block by a significant margin, told the story of a woman’s life, from birth to death. Using genuine pathos and brilliant dark humor, the film was able to make the entire auditorium laugh one moment and sniffle the next. Without being judgmental or preachy, the film was able to tell a widely relatable story, made all the more so by a diverse lineup of narrators. Of all the things I was able to see at PIFF before it was cancelled, this is the one for which I am most grateful.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, there was one film, as I’ve hinted at, that really seemed to be punching above its weight. Love Birds (2019, 8mins, Oregon), by Ashely Mosher felt almost like a cringe-comedy Portlandia parody of a “festival film.” It was so out of touch. The documentary begins with a title card linking it, vaguely, to Werner Herzog, and then immediately crushes any hope or excitement that this might conjure in the audience. The film follows, via voice over narration, the emotional journey of the filmmaker as she, sans husband, explores the Amazon River and an emotional affair with a native man named Noe. Noe seems like a remarkable fellow indeed, a skilled painter of wildlife and a man who seems very much in touch with the world around him. Unfortunately, the story of the middle-aged white woman who goes off to a faraway land, fetishizes a native man, and then returns to her comfortable life back home is tired and problematic. This was especially frustrating since the film came after another (much better) film earlier in the same shorts block, which was about empowering and recognizing Native American culture in Canada. I would have hoped that the programmers for the festival would have known better… Ashley was also one of the four filmmakers to do a Q&A after the festival, and when asked by an audience member what her husband thought of the contents of her film, she admitted that the narrative of her romance with Noe was almost entirely made up for effect, essentially admitting to simply fetishizing this man and depicting a false relationship for no other reason than entertainment value. She also took every opportunity to talk about how the film came about as part of a fellowship, or something similar, with Werner Herzog for the purpose of making short docs in the Amazon, and after the third or fourth “Werner told me this,” or “Werner did that,” you could tell that even her fellow filmmakers on the stage with her were growing weary of her name dropping.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my time watching these short films at PIFF. It’s funny, after almost four years in film school, one tends to forget that good short films exist, and I was very glad for the reminder. I am very disappointed that we weren’t able to finish off PIFF strong, due to the pandemic we find ourselves in. However, I feel absolutely confident that this was the right call on the part of those in charge of the closure. Better safe than sorry.
PSU School of Film @ PIFF 