independent film reviews

Walnut is a surprisingly beautiful and ridiculously touching tale about how a family deals with having to put down their dog. Minimalistic in nature and with few words of real dialogue, Walnut is a study on the polarized reactions of human beings when it comes to dealing with tragedy. “Coming of Age” films aren’t usually my bag of chips, but in small doses, such as in Walnut, they can actually be kind of sweet.

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Director:
Amy Gebhardt

One of the best shorts I’ve ever seen, Rewind is a complete mind fuck that is confusing at first and genius upon completion. Set wholly in a dingy room, the entire short is played backwards, with no dialogue between the characters. The only words are the description of a narrator, who is not describing the scene, but the events leading up to the scene.

Yet, somehow, the entire short meets together at a common point and makes perfect sense. Rewind is absolutely captivating in its nonlinear storytelling, and the way the visuals sync up with the narration is brilliant in its inventiveness.

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Director:
Atul Taishete