deadCENTER Film Festival short subject films - An art genre of its own

by Ray Freer
Entertainment Columnist

We're all fortunate that Oklahoma City is a place that embraces and supports the arts, and there are many avenues and venues offered to experience and appreciate art. The one which embraces the art of cutting-edge filmmaking is deadCENTER Film Festival. Don’t fail to take advantage of the opportunity to experience these films.

I was lucky enough recently to view several gay-themed short films being featured at deadCENTER. Though all short films must make their point (present their intended message) in a very brief amount of time, the best ones make that message without using a hammer to do it. Understanding the filmmaker’s message is imperative, but subtlety of message is always welcomed.

In, The Outfit, Director Yen Tan (along with his co-writer, Don Swaynos) uses the metaphor of a shirt for self-examination and self-acceptance in the coming out process. In this story, which we're told is inspired by true events, actor A.J. Brown plays a politician who is photographed in an outfit that is described as 'gay' in the press.

Our fictional politician isn't comfortable with being thought of as gay, yet no matter how hard he tries to throw away, burn, or bury his outfit, he's never free of it. It always comes back to his closet, until he himself is ready to come out of it.

This 12-minute film is an excellent example of successful use of object as metaphor to make the point that denying your own truth is always the wrong choice. It does this with very strong production values, superb editing, and ultimately competent acting choices. The acting is skillful, but we appreciate in it the masterful presence of the director. Yen Tan gives us a great film in a very small package. Please treat yourself by seeing this movie.

In The Future Perfect, writer/director Nick Citton explores big social issues in a very short time indeed. Questions of morality and selfishness and the greater good are all trotted out for examination. That Citton can tackle this enormously burdensome task, with what he makes look like apparent ease, makes him a filmmaker of the highest caliber.

Time travel is the vehicle used to force us to look at our own views about love and morality, and judging our actions (or inactions). Too often, we're quite confident how we feel about the big things, but in this movie, we are presented with circumstances that make it clear it's not always an easy choice between black and white.

In this technologically sophisticated film, as in all good movie making, all the respective elements involved in the process have combined seamlessly toward the goal of ultimate success. Writing, direction, strong acting performances, editing and (most importantly) story, work together for this experience of film as art.

The time traveler, actor Robert Baker, and his unseen time travel facilitator (voiced by Zachary Quinto) will be a couple in the future. In only ten minutes run time we are drawn into wanting them to not only be a couple in the future, but for that relationship to last. Yet we're also concerned about the cost of that goal. Big questions are presented, and we're not given all the answers. Maybe we're supposed to come to those conclusions on our own.

The Hallwayis the briefest of the films I viewed for this article. It is a four-minute movie that is certainly art, but we aren't given the time to help us understand the complexity of the message that Leah Shore, the writer/director would like us to come away with. Oh, I certainly got the metaphors being used to describe individual differences layered with yearning, desire, and frustration. I'm just left feeling more time was needed to be ultimately successful.

The metaphors of make-up that is the same, yet applied in a vertical or horizontal pattern, and darkness (literal to imply the metaphorical), are combined with strong acting choices. I'm left feeling though that the actors aren't quite understanding the director's choices for each beat they portray.

I was left a bit nonplussed by this movie, but one of the very great things about art is that we can all find different things in it. I'm not so conceited that I believe only my impressions and opinions are the valid ones. There is definitely art in this film, and I would still recommend you take the four-minute ride to see what you may find in it for yourself.

The Gayly – June 10, 2015 @ 10am.