Caitlin and Brent wade into the Slamdance 2025 Shorts Part One: A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY FOR THE LADY AVENGER, A DYING TREE, BITA JUNE,BLOQUE, CHICKENBOY, CLEMENTINE CONTOURS,DEUCE,GOD'S ANUS, GUGGLING

With so many shorts at this year's Slamdance I had to phone a friend, or rather two friends to help. My friends Caitlin Plovnick and Brent Miller are huge fans of short films  so I reached out and asked them if they would be willin to help me try and make a dent into the hue backlog. They graciously agreed. This is the first of several pieces on the short films that are playing at Slamdance.

A Brighter Summer Day for the Lady Avengers:
A teenage girl experiences a sexual awakening while sipping watermelon juice at the movies. Dreamy, sensual and elegantly filmed. Dare I say juicy. References specific Taiwanese films I am not personally familiar with, but that didn’t impede my enjoyment. 

A Dying Tree
A man in an oppressive urban environment begins to shed the trappings of civilized humanity via modern dance and impressive physical contortion. The parts that evoked the experience of the trees interested me more than what felt like yet another story of a man feeling stifled by modern life.

Bita Joon
A naturalistic and personal portrait of a terminally ill woman’s daily experience. I saw this as a magnificently understated meditation on caretaking, loneliness, and connection. Highly recommended. 

Bloque
A drummer struggles with creative block, his progress both disrupted and inspired by fragments of memory. I enjoyed watching the disconnected story come together, and I always appreciate music and rhythm as a means to construct a story. 

Chickenboy
An isolated farmer and his half-chicken offspring aspire to a more exciting life. Intentionally silly and schlocky, with cartoonish gross-out humor - you will not be disappointed if that is your cup of tea.

Clementine
The titular character contemplates taking a new step in transition, while receiving guidance (and a whimsical tour of the vagina) from caring queer friends and unwelcome objectification from strangers. Clementine’s vulnerability is particularly painful to watch given current events. 

Contours
An entirely “silent” short rom-com in which a couple meets cute, flirts, hooks up, fights, processes and reconnects while visiting an art gallery, communicating exclusively through gesture, ASL and text. Charming and funny, with an enjoyable twist early on. 

Deuce
In a richly colored suburban summer, best friends Addie and Michael struggle with gender expectations and betrayal. This film may reel you in with its bright and whimsical style, reminiscent of classic children’s media, but the emotional truths will knock you out. One of our favorites. 

God’s Anus
Strangers are buried up to their necks in desert sand in a circle around what is presumably God’s Anus. Each is individually (and humorously) tortured until they seem to find peace with it and are replaced by new victims. Surreal, absurd and enjoyable. 

Gurgling
A young woman in an oppressive domestic situation worries that she is being observed in the shower. The unsettling and intimate feeling of this film is heightened by the constant sound of gurgling water in the background.