BEN
Director/Writer: Paddy Jonathan Ong
2014 / 18 min
You should watch this if: You'd enjoy a breezy feel-good effort by a self-assured debut filmmaker. "Ben" doesn't break new ground with its tale of a boy trying to impress a girl (complete with grand master plans, training montages, embarrassing failures, wise sidekicks and humble seconds), but the film is shot and edited with such pizzazz and energy that it doesn't need to strive for more. Added plus, too, that the film's main characters are themselves refreshingly plus-sized, rather than boilerplate magazine-cover types.
Avoid this if: You might be let down by the Short Cuts programme's Wes Anderson comparisons. "Ben" doesn't quite offer the visual idiosyncrasies and exacting production design linked to the director of The Grand Budapest Hotel, but it remains impressively polished for a first-time effort.
ORBITS
Director: Martin Hong
Cinematographer and Set Designer: Shane Lim
Costumes: Ian Kong
2012 / 14 min
You should watch this if: You would like to see an early (still impressive) film made by a young local talented filmmaker. "Orbits" was written and directed by Martin Hong (he even did some of the Director of Photography work himself), before he entered film school in NTU. A wonderful exploration on young unrequited love, "Orbits" is a film that Martin said was borne out of his own personal experience, and was a story that he felt compelled to tell. With an unconventional set design (the inside of a spaceship being entirely made out of cardboard) and a pet dog “King William” playing the key supporting cast member, this short is capable of touching heartstrings and is a definite must-see for hopeless romantics who can possibly gain insight on closure where it comes to affairs of the heart. Creativity at its best, in the usage of the cosmos within the plot, one also has to give absolute credit to the costume designer for helping to create a convincing world of the galaxy out there.
Avoid this if: You are sappy and dislike the risk of shedding a tear or two. "Orbits" stands out with its somewhat mawkish script, but that also means that the overly sentimental may require a tissue at the lines Martin’s character, Tom, utters as he comes to terms with his loss.