Category: Film Review

Film Festivals, Film Review, Films, HollyShorts Film Festival, Live action short, Short Film

REVIEW: In the Quiet Corners of Childhood: RECESSES Confronts the Pain We Can’t See

Dylan Trupiano’s Recesses is a profoundly moving short film that offers a poignant and intricately layered exploration of hidden childhood trauma, delicately navigating the complex intersection of pain and repression. The story centers on Sherry (Solia Cates), a compassionate school secretary who stays behind with Bailey (Charles John Wilson), a young student disciplined for creating an “inappropriate” drawing. As their time together unfolds within the … Continue reading REVIEW: In the Quiet Corners of Childhood: RECESSES Confronts the Pain We Can’t See

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21st Anniversary, Female Director, Film Festivals, Film Review, HollyShorts Film Festival, Live action short

REVIEW: Mahnoor Euceph’s 11:11 Turns a Teen Wish Into a Sharp Reckoning With Assimilation

Premiering at the 2025 Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival, 11:11 marks a striking new entry in the canon of diasporic coming-of-age cinema, one that dares to blend teen wish-fulfillment fantasy with the painful realities of assimilation and internalized identity loss. With sharp humor, an audacious high-concept premise, and a clear directorial voice, Mahnoor Euceph crafts a short that is as entertaining as it is quietly devastating. At the center of 11:11 is Noori, … Continue reading REVIEW: Mahnoor Euceph’s 11:11 Turns a Teen Wish Into a Sharp Reckoning With Assimilation

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Female Director, Film Review, HollyShorts Film Festival, Live action short

REVIEW: Meron Alon’s TOO GOOD Is a Divine Comedy With a Sharp Edge

Premiering at the Oscar-qualifying 21st HollyShorts Film Festival, TOO GOOD arrives amid a lineup of films steeped in moral reflection, but Meron Alon dares to ask the biggest questions with a grin, then answers them with a gut punch. Anchored by two powerhouse performances from Jean Smart and Lil Rel Howery, this darkly comic, unexpectedly soulful short turns the afterlife into a cosmic interrogation room where judgment is personal, … Continue reading REVIEW: Meron Alon’s TOO GOOD Is a Divine Comedy With a Sharp Edge

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Film Review, HollyShorts Film Festival, Live action short

REVIEW: Guy Trevellyan’s PLASTIC SURGERY Offers a Visceral Look at Our Plastic Dependence

In PLASTIC SURGERY, director Guy Trevellyan transforms a clinical setting into a crucible of dread, weaving a taut environmental thriller that resonates far beyond its 20-minute duration. With a filmmaker’s precision and a moral urgency that lingers like an aftertaste, Trevellyan’s short is a chilling parable for our times, one where the invisible costs of modern convenience are no longer theoretical, but coursing through our very … Continue reading REVIEW: Guy Trevellyan’s PLASTIC SURGERY Offers a Visceral Look at Our Plastic Dependence

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Female Director, Film Review, HollyShorts Film Festival, Live action short

REVIEW: Hannah Rose Ammon’s WE DO OUR BEST Captures a Mother-Daughter Bond in Flux

Making its debut at the 21st HollyShorts Film Festival, Hannah Rose Ammon’s WE DO OUR BEST is a sharply observed, emotionally nuanced short that navigates the fragile balance between protection and independence with striking authenticity. Set over one transformative night in New York City, the film reflects on the tender contradictions of growing-up for both sides of a mother-daughter relationship. Inspired by a formative night from writer-director … Continue reading REVIEW: Hannah Rose Ammon’s WE DO OUR BEST Captures a Mother-Daughter Bond in Flux

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