Final Girls Berlin Film Festival always curates a particularly exciting short film lineup and this year is no different. The Female Pacts block explores the nature and power of women connected to one another, whether in the same space and time or across generations.
All Girls
All Girls is an early contender for the best line of the festival, which I can’t share without spoiling it, but I really urge everyone to check out this short. Fiercely driven leader Heather (Dolores Carbonari) takes her group of friends on a practice run of a hiking challenge intended to secure the best possible University application brag. However, after much bickering, the group end up lost and without equipment, putting the entire trip, and their lives in jeopardy. The strength here is in the cast, working to bounce snappy dialogue around in the open air. The interplay between them, especially in Heather’s most excitable moments is easy to engage with. The outdoor photography is very effective in isolating the girls within a difficult environment with director Anastasia Bruce-Jones able to switch from that vastness to the quieter, inner thoughts of the girls with sophistication.
Blood Rites
Another British offering and another slice of darkness with a side of wry humour – this time based on a short story about 3 girls with an unusual appetite finding themselves in the English countryside. The comic beats between the three main performers are so well-pitched with Mirren Mack, Ella-Rae Smith and Ellis George all delivering distinct characters in a short runtime. The film has fun with its humour and a particularly notable nod to the high-school corridor power walk but also delivers on the horror stakes with their unique condition and personalities creating issues for them.
Sabbath
From the slow creep over a cliffside, Sabbath is a film keen to indulge in tension as a group of women stand accused of witchcraft. The events of the film take place in broad daylight, with the brightness furthering the discomfort as a religious figure loudly decries the women and their ‘crimes’. The film could be forgiven for surviving on the intensity of the dialogue alone, but director Alexandra Mignien gradually dials up to something far more explosive and, ultimately, satisfying.
Souterraines (Rooted)
A far more mellow (to some degree), but no less effective offering is Souterraines, a story of a woman in search of the secrets of her family that she feels immensely burdened by, yet drawn to. When she meets another young woman at the home, the pair begin to unpick their feelings, fears and suspicions of what is happening around them. The dialogue is poetic, laden with metaphor, supported by the dimly lit house providing an intimacy up until a bracing conclusion.
Huella
Daniela works at a call centre, dealing with the mundanity of customer calls with good grace despite the recent loss of her grandmother. As her mourning continues, her dancing background comes to the fore in a flow of interconnected, dream (or nightmare) sequences. The flow of this is really something special with seamless editing and movement providing a high-energy experience along with some memorably jarring moments.
No Man’s Land
The most overtly comic short of the block comes in the form of No Man’s Land, featuring a cult led by a man who may, or may not be, involved in one of the most infamous documentaries put on screen. Despite the well-pitched jokes, this also has a serious thread about those who preach faux-empowerment as a form of control. References to ‘finding your awesome’ sit at odds with the increasingly restrictive behaviour as the day of ascension approaches. The cast are effective here in selling the insecurities of the group and the arrival in this space without much need for background. Effective and entertaining.
The Female Pacts shorts block screened as part of the Final Girls Berlin Film Festival 2023. Find out more about the festival at their webpage.
scaredsheepless 