R&A Shorts: Reality Tech

A camera attached into a birdhouse records the life of an owl family in a captivating manner. On the same screen there’s a live chat, where people incessantly comment on the turns of events happening in the nest. The eye-opening The Shining Tapestry reminds of the power of the gaze: the viewer gets to stare at the hooters from pole position, but the birds’ glowing, soul-piercing eyes stare right back from the dark.

Julia Mellen, a skilful storyteller, explains the course of events of her abortion party at a web cam, as peculiar 3D characters illustrate the events. Abortion Party is a distinctive response to the reform that has narrowed women’s rights in the United States. It amuses, touches and, above all, bewilders.

The name of the striking short film, Sixty-Seven Milliseconds, refers to the time gap between two surveillance camera images, during which a police officer’s pistol is fired. The animation’s societal topic makes it thought-provoking, and through an individual tragedy the film challenges to consider the reliability of the institutions that hold the power.

A man, wandering around the world of a video game, meets both sex-suggesting men and French cops. What these encounters have in common is that the wanderer is seen primarily as an Arab. The uniquely experimental animation, Homunculus, is based on director Bonheur Suprême’s own experiences in gay dating apps.

An activist fights against censorship in Iran while simultaneously having to hide his queer identity from both the Chinese state and his family. Measuring the price of freedom, the animated film Breaking Walls charms with its sympathetic drawing style while shaking up its audience with commentary critical of a society of control.

Taneli Timisjärvi (translated by Vilja Hynynen)