Each year at the Chicago Critics Film Festival (CCFF), film critic Collin Souter has compiles a selection of short films and carefully compiles them into two programs. Although it was down to the wire, I can say this is the first year I was able plow through all sixteen shorts (which are split into two programs, screening today and tomorrow), which offer quite a variety of tone and styles – from animation to documentaries to experimental works – some really work and become quite memorable, while others may leave you perplexed. I respect and value Souter’s knowledge of filmmaking and eye for curating what must be a daunting project and appreciate the time and energy he’s put into presenting festival viewers a chance to broaden their cinematic experiences. 

HERE’S a great interview with Souter about the Shorts for this year, which also touches on the process of curating the Shorts Programs.

For time sake, all I’ve included in my rundown of all the films below is a very brief description of the short and my rating….

Hopptornet (Ten Meter Tower)

Directors Mark Borchardt (“The Dundee Project”) and Laura Moss (“Fry Day”) will be in attendance for a Q&A.

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Drawn & Recorded: Teen Spirit tells the story behind one of the most iconic songs ever written, animated in the style of a pop-up book. It all goes back to the night Kurt Cobain was inspired to write Smells Like Teen Spirit. Narrated by T Bone Burnett and directed by Drew Christie. RATING: ***

Approaching A Breakthrough – Back in New York after a stint in Los Angeles, Norman Kaminsky (Keiran Culkin) has a terrible argument with his girlfriend (Mae Whitman) just before running into a string of characters from his past. Despite his best efforts to run away from his problems, Norman can’t seem to escape them. Directed by Noah Pritzker. RATING: **1/2

Hopptornet (Ten Meter Tower) – A ten meter diving tower. People who have never been up there before have to choose whether to jump or climb down. The situation itself highlights a dilemma: to weigh the instinctive fear of taking the step out against the humiliation of having to climb down. TEN METER TOWER is an entertaining study of the human in a vulnerable position. Directed by Axel Danielson & Maximilien Van Aertryck. RATING: ***1/2

The Dundee Project – In his long-awaited follow-up to 1997’s “Coven,” filmmaker Mark Borchardt steps behind the camera again with “The Dundee Project,” a documentary chronicling a small town UFO festival in Wisconsin. Featuring interviews with eccentric locals, including “UFO Bob,” the film explores the annual ritual, which is equal parts sky watching and heavy drinking, and leaves Borchardt pondering whether any of it really happened at all. Directed by Mark Borchardt. RATING: **

Kaiju Bunraku – Here’s a day in the life of a husband and wife living in a world of giant monsters. Directed by Lucas Leyva and Jillian Mayer. RATING: ***

Tough – Some things can only be understood with maturity. New light is shed on childhood cultural misunderstandings when a Chinese mother and her British born daughter speak as adults for the first time. Directed by Jennifer Zheng. RATING: **1/2

Fry Day – An adolescent girl comes of age against the backdrop of serial killer Ted Bundy’s execution in 1989. Directed by Laura Moss. RATING: **

Hell You Talmbout – In the wake of the country’s social and political current events, Hell You Talmbout artfully confronts police violence, racial discrimination and the Black Lives Matter movement through spoken word, tap dance, and most importantly, its impact as seen through the eyes of our youth. The inspirational young dancers of Seattle’s Northwest Tap Connection, a social justice-oriented dance studio, come together to confront the inescapable outrage that they feel living in a world plagued with injustices in the Black Community. Directed by Denzel Boyd, Joseph Webb, Tyler Rabinowitz. RATING: **1/2

Because the World Never Stops

Victor and Isolina