- Love Me or Leave Me Alone (2003) - Duane Hopkins
- About a Girl (2001) - Brian Percival
- The Most Beautiful Man In The World (2002) - Alicia Duffy
- Antonio's Breakfast (2005) - Daniel Mulloy
- Gasman (1997) - Lynne Ramsay
Every short has the re-occurring theme of childhood, however, each presents the theme through a different medium and therefore, all reflect the various sides of the 'coming of age' period.
Duane Hopkins' Love Me Or Leave Me Alone, a multi-award winning short that can be found on the DVD 'Cinema Extreme Green Lit Projects', delves deeper into the troubles and thrills within childhood relationships and the discovery of 'first love'. The film, created in 2003, was funded by the UK Film Council and FilmFour and had a successful reception; it was shown at a number of festivals including the International Short Film Festival, the Oberhausen Short Film Festival and the Edinburgh Short Film Festival (which it received the award for Best Short Film). Furthermore, the short went on to become nominated for Best British Short at the BIFA awards in 2004.
The film's opening shot shows an intimidating medium short of the leading male. In slow motion he viciously spits on the ground. The framing of the shot means the boy is in direct eye contact with the audience; this combined with the slow motion connotes and elongates his premeditated aggression.The next shot shows a high angle of the lead girl. The boy's framing remains at eye level, which illustrates his control and status in this scene. The establishing shots represent the harsh break up between a young, naive couple; the actions of both characters representing their juvenile, immature approach to relationships. The series of jump cuts during the fight help connote the disconnection between the two characters. Hopkins' use of fast editing pace to create the tension and stress which evokes the disrespectful, almost animalistic behaviour of the hormonal, raw youths. Contrast this with the end of the short which sees them make up and explore each others curiosities, Hopkins has portrayed a gritty, down-to-earth representation of the complexity of first time relationships at such a vulnerable age.
The vulnerability of childhood is also a main theme within the short The Most Beautiful Man in the World.
Directed by Alicia Duffy, the 2002 short had several nominations including a BAFTA for Best Short Film, Official Selection in the Cannes Film Festival and winning awards in Turner Classic Movies and the Short Film Prize at the London Film Festival in 2003. The Most Beautiful Man in the World was originally commissioned as part of The Short Channel, a project funded by the UK Film Council and France's national film body CNC. They paired up a young British director and a young French director to make two films from the same script, which aimed to show contrast approaches of British and French film-makers. Duffy's version, which is semi-autobiographical, follows a girl's encounter with a mystery stranger. The French version L'homme le plus beau au monde was directed by Alix Barbey.
The film is purposely ambiguous. Speaking to the National Film and Television school, Duffy said: "With short films, you have to tell quite big things with tiny gestures, but small moments collectively can add up to something greater".
The structure of the film is unique in the sense that it helps represent the childhood desire to want something, an escape; a monotonous beginning, the climax, the obstacle, then a monotonous end. The structure replicates itself. It's almost ironic that its starts and end in equilibrium because its these parts of the film where the protagonist feels the most neglected and confined. This is evident within the cinematography; the lighting is dark and the atmosphere stuffy, the diegetic sound of cartoons can be heard in the background to symbolise her innocent nature and to show how violence is humourised. She's surrounded by barriers, which again is used to represent her confinement.
However, during the scenes where she is outside and exploring her new found freedom there is a significant contrast in the cinematography; the jump cuts express the lapse of time and her absorbtion in these new surroundings, all her senses are being stimulated.
The establishing shot of the man replicates the establishing shot of the protagonist, which could identify some connection between them, but this remains unknown. The close up of the girl's slightly open mouth during their encounter sexualises her and this raises the theme of vulnerability within childhood, especially since it's towards a grown man. The whimper of the dog further raises tension in contrast to her vulnerability as this type of behaviour from dogs signals anxienty. In regards to the vulnerabilty of children, Duffy's film encourages us to reflect on what questions we should be asking ourselves, questions of personal safety and what we consider to be safe.
Safety is also an important factor within the short Antonio's Breakfast, directed by Daniel Mulloy. The 2005 film was first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to win Best Short Film at the 59th BAFTAs in January 2006.
The importance of the father figure is a significant aspect of Lynne Ramsay's short Gasman, a story of two children who react with naive simple emotion to a situation imposed upon them by their father’s secret. In 1997 the films won Best Short at the Scottish BAFTA Awards. The film then went on to win additional awards, such as the Best Film award at the Locarno International Film Festival, the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and the International Award at the Atlantic Film Festival in 1998. Also in the same year of 1998 the film was nominated for Best Short Film at the BAFTAs and at the Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival).
The theme of escape also features within this film. The medium shot of the young girl clapping her heels together in the style of Dorothy from Wizard of Oz and the dialogue "there's no place like home" helps represent the girl's want to escape.
The protagonist in Brian Percival's About A Girl also suffers the need for full paternal consumption. The 2001 film revolves around the gritty monologue of a young teenage girl; there is an uncomfortable sense of sadness underlying her easygoing tales, but it is not until the end that we find out the disturbing truth. This was Brian Percival's first short film and can be found in the DVD compilation Cinema 16: British Short Films (2003). His first attempt at a short film was successful, going on to win a BAFTA in 2001, an Edinburgh Film Festival Prize and City Light Award for Best Short Film. Furthermore, Best Short at Raindance Film Festival, a Granada TV Short Film Award and the Turner Classic Movie Shorts top prize. The film was shot handheld to imitate a documentary, adding to the social realism influence of the short. Her monolgue, which is intercut with scenes of her and her family. The Moving Shorts DVD compilation commented on the film saying, "Her stories become more and more underlined by an uncomfortable feeling that the gravity of her experiences does not match her flippant style".
