Horst in Translation ([email protected])
"Hirsute" is a Canadian 14-minute live action short film from 2007, so it will have its 10th anniversary next year. The writer, director and lead actor here is A.J. Bond. He plays a man who gets visited by his future self who found a way to travel in time. And he has changed considerably physically in-between. But what about the emotional state? You will find out in the end. I personally liked some of the aspects here and disliked some other aspects. First of all, the transformation seems a bit too extreme as he hardly does not recognize himself. And the ending is difficult too. On the one hand, it is shocking and lets the film end on an interesting note, on the other it does not really make sense. Not only does he not seem a guy who would kill himself, but also the impact on his past self is strange. Or did he just die the moment his old self entered the bathroom? I am not sure. Or was he in fact an identical twin brother? Decide for yourself. I think it's a fairly mediocre film all in all and it does not get me curious about what Bond has done since 2007. Then again, he never really broke through and this stayed his most known work until today. Pretty surprised how many awards it won and was nominated for. I do not recommend the watch. Thumbs down.
Franco-LA
This short, by a gay filmmaker, has both some science fiction elements (time travel) and some gay elements, but to be considered either a sci fi or gay short both would miss classify and suggest something other than what this short actually is about - a very clever and interesting story about identity and self-perception. This is the type of short that makes you want to see a longer feature by the writer/director, and also makes you want to know more about what happens to the protagonist. This is also the flaw, typical of shorts, that it is somewhat oblique and unresolved. Unfortunately, this is frequently the "nature of the beast," so to speak, due to funding and other time constraints. However, many aspects of this short are well handled, such as the time travel elements, with cleverness and imagination.
