Short Film Shonday

Over the holidays I fell down a well of short films on YouTube. Short films are tough because there is rarely time to build up a lot of characterization, world elements, or story. They’re usually just little sips of a cool premise or situation with a “twist” at the end meant to make you ooh and ahh.

These two, however, really stood out to me amongst the trove contained in the rabbit hole I stumbled down.

First, “Souls of Totality”, notable for having some name actors, is also excellently crafted, packs enough of a story in it’s eighteen minutes to keep you engaged, and has a twist so subtle you just might miss it.

Next “Beyond” by YouTube stalwart Joe Penna. At a more robust 41 minutes, there really is quite a lot of story here… a time travel epic that folds in on itself as all time travel epics should, tying itself in a tidy enough knot to feel complete while also leaving room to wonder what might happen next in this world.

I hope you’ll watch these and enjoy them as much as I did.