In Praise of Shorts: Alone

For the most part, short films get short shrift. In the states, there are very few opportunities to see short films on the big screen. Sure, there are the occasional festivals, but watching a multitude of shorts at one time isn't ideal either. The New York Film Festival programs shorts before most features, but outside of those two weeks each autumn, short films are rarely screened theatrically. What's more, reviews of shorts are none too common -- even those that appear at the NYFF rate only a line or two in the New York Times. On the other hand, there are many shorts that simply aren't any good, and an almost equal amount that are just average -- ten to twenty entertaining minutes, but forgotten soon afterwards. Filmbrain has seen too many shorts that consist of two people in a cafe/restaurant/bookstore/office/apartment/church being cute/brilliant/charming/witty/PoMo/obscure. The writing may be interesting, but often they lack any cinematic interest. At the other end of the scale are the shorts where the director feels the need to include every clever shot and editing technique learned since day one of film school. Yawn. However, occasionally you come across a short that has all the pieces in the right place, and its impact can be as lasting as a feature. Filmbrain will be calling attention to such shorts when- and wherever he sees them, and he begins with a film he was fortunate enough to see theatrically this past Saturday -- Gregory Orr's Alone. One of the greatest challenges a screenwriter faces on a short is how to create and develop a character (or characters) in twenty to thirty pages. Every action, every line, every gesture, is critical. With Alone, Orr (his debut fictional film) gives us Peter Shipke (Curzon Dobell), a character so richly developed that it puts those of many contemporary features to shame. An almost archetypal anti-hero, Peter is a man who has mastered the art of being alone. His cupboards are full of the entire product line of "Servings For One" canned goods, he has a large collection of single chairs (no two alike), and comfortably makes excuses to avoid any and all social engagements. This extends into his professional life, where he works as an evictor, shoving notices anonymously under doors and scuttling away. One day, Peter meets the beautiful and mysterious Anya (Ana Asensio) and the resulting obsession will force Peter to confront the ghosts of both his present and his past. Orr's screenplay is wonderfully economical, and much of the story is told visually, using surrealistic fantasy/nightmare sequences that tell us more about Peter than dialog ever could. Working with cinematographer Xavier Pérez Grobet (Before Night Falls), Orr presents New York City as a lush but haunting winter wonderland, where the only inhabitants are Peter and those he has direct contact with -- subways, supermarkets, and streets are eerily empty. Though set in the present, much of the film is directed in a classic Hollywood style (probably not a coincidence -- Orr is the grandson of the legendary Jack Warner). Peter, in conservative suit and fedora is the 1950's everyman, and Curzon Dobell turns in a wonderful performance that never slips into kitschy retro. He's perfectly cast in the role, and the manner in which he portrays Peter's evolution (or, better yet, deconstruction) is a testament to his strength as an actor. The same can be said of Ana Asensio, who portrays not one but two Anyas -- the elegant, romantic, smartly dressed society woman of Peter's dreams, and the hardened, troubled woman of the real world, whose problems are also of Peter's making. A bad actor in either role would have rendered the film laughable, and Orr really must be credited with putting together a great cast (even down to the supporting characters). Peter and Anya's final scene together is at once both uncomfortably horrific and terribly moving. In a mere thirty minutes, Peter is transformed from Scrooge-like oddball to tragic figure. Alone is a beautiful portrait of loneliness and loss that exemplifies the very best of what a short film can offer. Gregory Orr is a definitely a director to watch, and Filmbrain eagerly awaits his next project.

Comments

[Chris]

Our school has a class every other semester where a volley of shorts are made.
Unfortunately, due to limitations in the department, we're stuck with developing shorts that are three minutes in length, shot at only one location, with no real budget, and within 12 hours. What made it burn was that after four to six weeks of attempting to squeeze out good stories, the majority of the scripts were rejected so the directors could do their own thing.