Subtitle: Shortlisted Shorts
It was during the first phase of movement control order (MCO) in Malaysia due to the pandemic that Kuman Pictures first posted their challenge on Facebook. Which challenge was towards making a short film during the MCO, about one to ten minutes long, in the genre of horror or thriller. It was a well-received challenge with a final count of 215 shorts submitted (including three that were submitted late) and was judged by Shamyl Othman, the director of Kami Histeria (2014) and Gantung The Series (2018). Just to be transparent, I was one of the submitters, and yes, I will self-review my first and very bad film in a different part.
Unfortunately, only 190 shorts are still available online and this 3-parter will attempt to cover all of them. This part in particular will cover the ten that was shortlisted. The second and third part will delve more into the tropes and similarities of the entries – it is coming soon. Just as a disclaimer, I'm someone who heavily focuses on the story and the storytelling aspects rather than technicality like colour, camera movements and so on, thus my reviews will be brief for entries with stories and briefer for entries that are more conceptual in nature. Have fun reading.
1. Virus Mairus by Gogularaajan Rajendran (Winner)
It wasn't surprising that Virus Mairus won the challenge and it is not just because the team behind it were experienced filmmakers, because that aspect was shared by a lot of entries. For some reason this was the only film in the shortlist that showed me it is possible to create a cinematic experience in a short format – and not just feel like a conceptual or technical pitch. The world was intelligently built without the need to overexplain and the social commentary was minimal but sharp. It was a fully realised story; a dark comedy about an older Malaysian Indian gentleman who wants to drink (alcohol) during the MCO and slowly falls into disillusionment. Also, by making it a dark comedy with underlying thriller moments told through the audio cues and visuals, it escapes the horror genre traps that others easily falls into. Although short, there are so many things that can be read and discovered using various perspectives, that's the depth this film is providing us with. One could spend hours talking about it. This might very well be the type of short film we Malaysians could pitch to the larger world to showcase our storytelling prowess and cinematic talents.
2. A.I by Zairul Eizam (Special Mention)
A.I. was one of the two special mentions for the challenge. The concept itself is interesting, where developing an emotional connection with A.I. assistants is a real thing that's happening in the world we live today. Also on privacy issues where we are sharing almost everything online with raw data in itself is now the business of the future. But honestly, the short itself didn't really pull me in. It turned into a straight-forward horror story with the disembodied Google Assistant voice haunting the protagonist rather than a technology-gone-rogue situation where the horror is something that lingers in the background and is only scary if we think about it; a bit ala Andrew Hunt's “Clean Cut” short film. Nonetheless, that's just me with my own preferences.
3. Fillet by Nick Davies (Special Mention)
This was the other special mention. In Fillet, Nick Davies re-imagined the nation as being unable to control the spread of the disease and all turned into chaos to the point food supplies are gone – something that we all were afraid of during the beginning of the pandemic. The protagonist is a YouTuber that teaches others how to survive, including the slaughtering of his pets for food – to the point where he cuts his flesh. Sorry, spoiler alert, but you could already guess the plot point from the title. The actions and desperations were well framed but the only negative I could comment is the setpiece looks too clean, even the grill looks brand new. It doesn't feel lived in, that's what I was trying to point out. The self-cannibalism does feel like an old school horror story where the character will cut one by one part of his body for survival – and there's an actual short story about self-cannibalism written by Stephen King called “Survivor Type”.
4. Satu Suku by John Hafiz
Believe it or not, but Satu Suku is not the only title in the shortlist that refers to time – “satu suku” (lit: one fourth) being 1:15 when in reference to time. I'm inclined to suggest that the title is also a reference to the Malay proverb “tiga suku” (lit: three fourths) that is parallel to the proverb “have a screw loose” in English or it is just my own (and I'm guessing many others) humourous post-reaction to the film by thinking: “Ini bukan satu suku tapi tiga suku!” (lit: “This is not one fourth but three fourths!”). This short is one of my favourites as I'm a sucker for simple cheeky stories such as this.
5. 15:45 by TH.ink Media
15:45 is the other short that the title refers to the exact time. It is about two horror YouTubers renting an apartment that was site to a murder – where they slowly connect the dots to the various information they have while being haunted and it all connects back to the title. Unfortunately, it feels rushed with the characters being a little too nonchalant after experiencing several hauntings, at least for me. Also a more minor note, the creators missed the chance to make the film to be exactly 3′45″ or 15′45″, but I understand the latter would mean the project breaking the 10-minute rule set by the organizers.
6. Don't Go by Sidney Chan
Don't Go is quite smart in using the idea of turning social distancing in real life into a horror concept. It is about the protagonist and her dog being called outside – to the darkness, to the void – by voices that imitates her family members. She also exposits about her family members falling victim to the unknown outside and ruminates about whether those who went out, went out despite knowing the voices aren't real. A lot could be read from this short, one straight-forward reading can be made on the human condition as social animals who can't seem to stay at home despite the dangers of being exposed to a deadly virus outside.
7. Cuci Tangan by Zikri Rahman
The first thing that popped into my mind when watching this short was Yoshikage Kira, the main villain from “JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 4: Diamond Is Unbreakable”. I almost expected the meme of menacing with the onomatopoeia and SFX of ã‚´ã‚´ã‚´ plastered all over the background during the handwashing scene. Alas, Zikri Rahman being a friend confirmed that he never watched JoJo and didn't know what I was referencing when asked. One can be inclined to read this movie from a political perspective where wrongdoings are being literally washed in front of the public eye, but that's just one reading.
8. The Story by Aldina Azani
Self-described as an Alternate Reality Game (ARG) – which I'm inclined to disagree unless the creator is planning (or already have) extensions to the story using other forms of media (which will still work even when we all know it is fiction). It uses the currently popular variant of the found footage sub-genre using social media ala the movie “Unfriended” (2014) or what I suspect the creator was referencing, YouTube channels such as “lonelygirl15” that was thought to be real until revealed to be fiction. The film uses social media, or specifically Instagram Stories as a framing device to tell the story of a girl that went missing with the last thing she posted was a Tik Tok dance attempt being rudely interrupted by an unknown entity. A transmedia exploration of this project would be really interesting and I do hope the creator goes this direction.
9. Visitor by Aaron Chung
Visitor is a straight-forward horror concept when it comes to the story. First, there was the sound of the gate being opened and both the gate and door was kept wide open. Then there's the sound of the shower being on. Lastly with the footsteps going all over the protagonists room and the light shuts off. Just as an alternate ending, I would like for the short to go the “Satu Suku” route and it was some housemate pranking him – but then it won't be a serious conceptual horror short ala David S. Samberg's “Light's Out” as it is now.
10. Quarantine by Titus TJT
The comment section is full of praise towards the colour-grading of this film. Quarantine is another “Light's Out”-esque short, that shows a young man eating junk food while laughing at the TV. Before slowly revealing the horror plot through small visuals cues at first, like the photo frame, which was nicely done.
