Buckle up and prepare to be moved — just keep a few tissues on standby. deadCenter’s Tearjerker Shorts lives up to its name through six provocative, eye-opening, and powerful short films.
Dania Bdeir’s Warsha follows Mohammad (Khansa), a soft-spoken man who volunteers to operate the tallest crane in Beirut. What would be a nerve-rattling experience transforms into an outlet for suppressed imagination. Shadi Chaaban’s cinematography shines, blurring the line between reality and fantasy. Khansa, a Lebanese pop icon, commands the screen with a climactic performance that needs to be seen. Reality can be crushing, but Warsha argues that dreams are weightless.
Amy Bench’s More Than I Remember illustrates the refuge experience in 15 minutes better than some films do over hours. Mugeni Ornella is forced to flee her home in the Congo when the fires of war burn it to the ground. Beautiful animation gives Mugeni’s monologue a vivid luster. Challenges like language barriers are woven across several easy-to-grasp metaphors. Finally, More Than I Remember insists family isn’t fragile, but fluid, even in the direst circumstances.
Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor’s For Love follows suit with breath-taking lighting and a tragic story. Nkechi, an undocumented refuge, lives in secrecy with her girlfriend, Martha. Nkechi resolves to turn herself over to customs after narrowly avoiding a random police check. The couple agrees to get married with the help of Martha’s friends and family. For Love makes a statement with its atmosphere and dialogue. And the film’s somber conclusion is a poetic and painful comment on a universal crisis.
Kathryn Prescott’s Gina examines the life of a homeless woman on Skid Row. After years of visiting a free breakfast hosted by a local homeless alliance, Gina becomes a volunteer herself. At the same time, she becomes a mother to L.A.’s abandoned pets, including a gentle and loyal pit bull. Unfortunately, Gina is also a reminder that even with mounting hope, death is just a few heartbeats away for those struggling to survive. Gina is a striking memorial to the Dog Whisperer of Skid Row.
James Kautz’s Frankie is uncomfortable and abrasive in all of the right ways. Frankie (Morgan O’Sullivan) attends a men’s-only 12-step meeting just 10 days after he comes out as a man himself. Frankie boldly vents their frustration about their ex — who repeatedly dead-named him — despite scoffs and transphobic insults from the other attendees. O’Sullivan’s performance is unfiltered and real as they’re a voice to the often voiceless. For anyone who doubts or is unfamiliar with the anguish of the trans experience, watch Frankie.
Molly E. Smith stars, edits, and directs Lioness, a film about one domestic abuse survivor’s unwavering commitment to protecting her child. Smith accomplishes so much in an otherwise tight and unassuming setting. The film confronts viewers with the repercussions of abuse without almost any dialogue. Lioness is humble, intimate, and jarring. If Lioness is any indication, Smith has a bright future that needs to be seen by a wide audience.
Frankie and Lioness, two films featured in Tearjerker Shorts, are available to stream online through deadCenter’s digital festival until June 20. Find more deadCenter 2022 coverage at The Cinematropolis.
