Four Texas Shorts Invade Sundance and Slamdance 2012
I recently had the chance to see four Texas short films headed for Sundance and Slamdance 2011 this month. If these shorts are any indication, audiences at the Park City festivals will see a very eclectic mix of moviemaking from Austin and Houston.
Fourplay: Tampa (Sundance)
Former Austinite Kyle Henry's Fourplay: Tampa is a surprisingly explicit romp about gay men hooking up in a Florida mall restroom. The story centers on Louis (Jose Villarreal), who enters the restroom looking for, well, satisfaction. As Slackerwood is a mostly family-friendly film site, I won't describe what happens next in prurient detail; I'll just say it involves lots of libidinous men in silly costumes (among them a cowboy, Marie Antoinette and the Marx Brothers) and some very amusing sacrilegious naughtiness. Bear in mind the subject matter in the following trailer.
Hellion (Sundance) (pictured at top)
Hellion is Austin filmmaker Kat Candler's story about young brothers Petey, Jacob and Wes (Deke Garner, Tommy Hohl and Arthur Dale), who are hellions in every sense of the word. The three terrorize their babysitter and suffer the consequences at the hands of their father, Bill (Jonny Mars); what follows is an unexpected twist on how fathers, sons and brothers deal with other. Produced by Kelly Williams.
Once It Started It Could Not End Otherwise (Sundance)
This short from Houston filmmaker Kelly Sears is a clever horror film based on photos from a 1970s high school yearbook. Using composites of photos, tinting, subtle animation and ominous titles, Sears creates an intriguing narrative about vague but terrifying events at a typical suburban school campus. The photos fit amazingly well with the story; then again, maybe this isn't so amazing -- high school can be a terrifying place.
33 Teeth (Slamdance)
Austinite Evan Roberts's 33 Teeth is a very funny story about Eddie (Spencer Siegel), a young teen who behaves in rather odd ways after developing a crush on his muscular neighbor. This 2011 Iris Award nominee,which screened at aGLIFF 2011, is my favorite of the four shorts, a sympathetic take on a universal rite of passage.
The Sundance Film Festival invades Park City, Utah from January 19-29; its alternative cousin Slamdance happens January 20-26.