Bafta this year continues with its thoroughly worthwhile idea of releasing a selection of the awards nominees in its live-action and animated short film categories – keeping the “portmanteau” tradition alive.
I didn’t find it a vintage year, although Edmond (the winner in animation) has interesting ideas about memories, dreams and yearnings. But there is one really brilliant short film here: Over, by Jörn Threlfall, beautifully shot by Richard Mott. It has a superb, forensic clarity and control, building to a genuinely shocking denouement. A series of long, static shots of a bland suburban street depict the aftermath of what appears to be a grisly, fatal event. The shots are shown in reverse order, and we head backwards to the horrifying, almost dreamlike event. It could have been one of Damián Szifrón’s macabre Wild Tales, yet there is a serious and heartfelt point to this excellent film. Over should have won the Bafta.
