There were loads of fantastic independent shorts shown at this year’s SF Indiefest, and while I wasn’t able to watch all of them, the ones I did see (I still saw a lot) ran the gamut from exciting, to comedic, to thought-provoking, to emotionally devastating. These were my favorites from the festival, though almost all of the shorts I saw are worth watching.

Top 10 Short Films from SF IndieFest

#1 The Beginning

A flurry of hilarious dialogue delivered rapid-fire, Brian Tolle’s The Beginning is a polished, funny, captivating short that grabs you by the ears and never lets go. We join Daniel and Richard immediately after a sexual adventure, as they awkwardly try to suss out each other’s intentions, wants, and needs. Within minutes, we watch them go from strangers to lovers, and the dialogue that takes us on this mini-journey is sharper than sharp. Nothing bad to say about this one. Everything is pitch-perfect here, and the audience absolutely ate it up.

#2 Best if Used By

Maggie’s husband, Max, just died. She smuggles his body out of the morgue and carts him to the grocery store she works at. Gradually, more and more people discover what Maggie has done, and instead of calling the police, they participate in hilarious existential conversations as they pow-wow around Max’s lifeless corpse. The dialogue and comedic timing are spot-on here, which is key as the morbid premise can be difficult to laugh with. It’s a good-looking film, to boot.

#3 Desire Inc.

Experienced filmmaker Lynn Hershman provides a thought-provoking look into technological fantasy Desire Inc. Filmed in 1985 before the internet had taken over the world, Hershman shares a set of ads she created and ran in the Bay Area, in which a seductive model urges viewers to call her. We are then shown footage of actual men who responded to the ads and the fascinating effects the ads had on their minds. It’s a deeply explorative work of art that contemplates the “phantom limb” we all utilize to reach into our television screens and interact with our most personal fantasies. When asked in the Q&A that followed the film if she would have made the film differently in the internet age, Hershman stressed that Desire Inc. and all films are portraits of their time and forever live just in that place.

#4 The Missing Key

A touching tale about inspiration, determination, and friendship set in a wholly unique, gorgeously realized version of 1920’s Venice, Jonathan Nix’s The Missing Key blew me away. Hero Wasabi (adorable) is a composer who aspires to win the grand prize at the Abacus Scroll musical competition, but standing in his way is a greedy veteran composer who will step on and over anybody who crosses his path.

The character and set design are amazing. Each character has a different mechanical device in place of a head, like a record player (Hero), telephone, or radio. The Venice Nix and his team imagine is lush and deeply colorful, almost like a G-Rated Bladerunner. The animation is a seamless combination of both 3-D and hand-drawn images that works so well together, you forget that it’s a movie and completely lose yourself in the world. It’s easy to root for Hero, a beautifully animated character, whose journey of musical discovery and triumph give the pretty images substance.

#5 Foxed!

A young girl, Emily, has been enslaved by foxes in a cave underneath her house. She manages to evade the foxes long enough to discover that she has been replaced in her home by…a fox! Frighteningly, she also discovers that her mother is unaware of the swap, fooled by the foxes’ illusion.

3-D cinema advocate and pioneer James Stewart and director/writer Nev Bezaire present a gorgeous stop-motion animated film with a dark twist. The meticulously crafted figures and sets are enchantingly dark and photographed cinematically, with minor digital effects used appropriately, creating a rich atmosphere. The sinister tone of the film works well without being alienating or off-putting, evoking childhood fears of the big bad wolf and the boogeyman. The final moments are very effective. The prospect of Foxed! becoming a full feature is exciting, and I look forward to delving into Stewart and Bezaire’s world even deeper.

#6 DeafBlind

A deaf-blind woman, Maggie, feels a deep connection with Christ that she discusses with a priest. Though she is strong spiritually, she is devastated by depression and loneliness. One day, a mysterious man starts following her around her house and watching over her, though his intentions are nebulous. Director Ewan Bailey uses just the right amount of ambiguity in this stirring tale, and the cinematography is haunting and cold-as-ice. A very resonant piece.

#7 Manhole 452

In the vein of Chris Marker’s classic La Jetee, Manhole 452 sets well-acted, cryptic narration by an anonymous man over footage of manholes erupting with water and fire on San Francisco’s Geary Street. The man describes an incident in which his car was split by an exploding manhole cover and the paranoia and obsession with probability that resulted. The combination of the dialogue and imagery is riveting, and had me shaking in my boots as I rode on the bus down Geary Street the day after I saw the film.

#8 Retrocognition

A moving tapestry of fragments from 50’s golden age radio and sitcoms, Retrocognition is one of the most visually striking things I saw at the festival. Using retro sound clips and images stitched together, director Eric Patrick tells a disturbing (a baby is murdered) tale of a man and wife that looks and feels like nothing you’ve ever seen before. You need to see this.

#9 La Storia di Sonia (Sonia’s Story)

A surrealistic journey of perseverance, we follow Sonia from childhood to adulthood in a politically turbulent 1970’s Italy. The cinematography and sound design are highly-stylized, recalling the great Sergio Leone and surrealist art. Director Lorenzo Guarnieri really takes his time to let the images sink in to our brains, and some of the images (particularly one in which Sonia emerges from a wall of water) are incredibly poignant and unforgettable.

#10 Keep the Fire

The funniest film of the festival, by far. In Keep the Fire, a Keeny Loggins fan describes the legend behind the cover art of Loggins’ classic album, Keep the fire, to a group of music snobs at a listening party. That’s funny already. We are then transported back to the days when the album art was conceived, in a ridiculously embellished false reenactment. The crowd at the Roxie was dying with laughter, and the film’s absurdity and sense of humor are undeniable. Better than Saturday Night Live’s Blue Oyster Cult sketch. Yes, I said it.

I arrived at the Roxie Theater on Saturday afternoon prepared for a huge day of films, and that’s exactly what my third day at SF Indiefest delivered. The first presentation of the day was a trio of shorts by newcomer Mary Helena Clark, paired with Desire Inc., a provocative short by Bay Area filmmaker Lynn Hershman. Next up, I shuffled over to the Roxie’s sister theater, Little Roxie, to watch Todd Looby’s charmingly honest Be Good. After filling my belly with delicious eats from the tapas place across the street (yum), I returned to the main Roxie theater to watch Quentin Dupieux’s playfully bizarre Wrong.
The night was capped off right around the corner from the Roxie at 518 Gallery with white Russians, mini-bowling, Dudes, Walters, and Jesuses, with SF Indiefest’s 10th annual Big Lebowski party, along with a 35mm screening of the film. The devoted Lebowski faithful came out in full force, and gathered to form a raucous orgy of Lebowski love. It was a memorable night that cemented for me that SF Indiefest is an absolute must-go event for any and all film enthusiasts.

The night was capped off right around the corner from the Roxie at 518 Gallery with white Russians, mini-bowling, Dudes, Walters, and Jesuses, with SF Indiefest’s 10th annual Big Lebowski party, along with a 35mm screening of the film. The devoted Lebowski faithful came out in full force, and gathered to form a raucous orgy of Lebowski love. It was a memorable night that cemented for me that SF Indiefest is an absolute must-go event for any and all film enthusiasts.

Three experimental shorts from Mary Helena Clark

Mary Helena Clark (who was in attendance) presented her experimental shorts And the Sun Flowers, Sound Over Water, and By Foot-Candle Light, all of which elicited long-forgotten memories and feelings from my childhood. Clark’s films linger on beautiful abstract images long enough for the hazy sights and sounds to transform in their meaning, cling to your mind, and become yours. Sound Over Water, the best of the trio, comforts with serene underwater images, while simultaneously creating a growing sense of claustrophobia.

And the Sun Flowers RATING: 6.8

Sound Over Water RATING: 8.9

By Foot-Canle Light RATING: 8

Desire Inc.

Experienced filmmaker Lynn Hershman (also in attendance) followed up with her thought-provoking look into technological fantasy Desire Inc. Filmed in 1985, before the internet had taken over the world, Hershman shares a set of ads she created and ran in the Bay Area, in which a seductive model urges viewers to call her. We are then shown footage of actual men who responded to the ads and the fascinating effects the ads had on their minds. It’s a deeply explorative work of art that contemplates the “phantom limb” we all utilize to reach into our television screens and interact with our most personal fantasies. When asked in the Q&A that followed the film if she would have made the film differently in the internet age, Hershman stressed that Desire Inc. and all films are portraits of their time and forever live just in that place.

RATING: 9.5

Be Good

Director Todd Looby’s Be Good follows independent filmmaker and stay-at-home dad Paul, his wife, Mary, who reluctantly returns to work but would much rather be at home with their newborn baby girl, Pearl. Paul wrestles with the reality that caring for the sleepless Pearl is stifling his filmmaking career, his friendships, and his marriage. Mary is frustrated with inhabiting the role of sole provider for the family and begins to resent Paul for not being able to contribute to the family financially and for being able to stay home with Pearl when she cannot. The rift between the couple grows as they use Pearl to escape one another, both emotionally and physically.

The situations Looby puts Paul and Mary in feel genuine, the pacing of the film hits the right rhythm, and Looby’s directing is tasteful. In scenes where Mary’s eye wanders to a male co-worker, Looby uses just the right amount of suggestion to where the situation doesn’t feel manufactured or contrived, but earnest and real. Neither parent is vilified, and their reactions to each other are completely understandable and believable thanks to sharp writing and two great performances. Thomas Madden and Amy Seimetz (as Paul and Mary, respectively) create a refined, naturalistic portrayal of a couple that is faced with the difficult juggling act that is parenthood.

Be Good is one of my favorite films of the festival so far. Looby is fair to his characters and treats them and their dilemma with respect. Their difficult situation is presented plainly and tastefully, and it’s clear that some of the scenes were plucked right out of Looby’s own life. He uses his own apartment, his own baby, and his own life experiences to inform the film, and what results is a deeply personal work. As a newlywed and future father, Be Good was a truly touching film.

RATING: 9.2

Wrong

Quentin Dupieux, director of the absurdist horror flick Rubber, delivers an equally nonsensical and wacky film with Wrong. We follow Dolph Springer, who wakes up to find that his beloved dog Paul is missing. In his search for his best friend, we are shown the wacky world Dolph lives in and the kooky eccentrics that inhabit it. As Dolph unravels the mystery behind Paul’s disappearance, his faith and connection with his pet are tested, and his problems begin to have damaging effects on the people surrounding him.

Dupieux’s film resembles a lighter, sillier version of a David Lynch dreamlike mind-bender, exchanging Lynch’s deep shadows and terror for bright, natural lighting and frivolous absurdity. Most of Wrong’s gags and wacky imagery are good for some laughs, but the effect comes and goes. We see things like a clock that strikes 7:60, a video of Paul’s shit’s memories (yep), and a man painting another man’s truck blue without permission. Unlike in Lynch’s films, none of the images stick and are soon forgotten, though they are fun in the moment.

What does stick are the great performances by the talented cast. Jack Plotnick plays Dolph with complete sincerity and dryness. While the film has a light, silly tone, Plotnick does a good job of reminding us of the true pain the absence of his Paul has caused Dolph. The rest of the cast do a good job as well, and deliver the dry dialogue with skillful comedic timing. William Fichtner is a standout as a spiritual guru who is an expert on making astral connections with other beings as is Regan Burns, who plays a jogger who will deny to the death that he is a jogger. Watching the characters’ hilarious conversations with each other is the main strength of the film. Wrong is a fun exercise in nonsensicality, but fails to resonate in any significant way.

RATING: 6.2