Two Triton Critics Review Their Favorite Films from the UCSD Film Festival

Two of The Triton’s Arts and Culture writers Anna Norris and Tate McFadden review their favorite films from this year’s UCSD Film Festival, hosted by Triton TV at the Price Center Theater on February 25th and 26th. The festival is an opportunity for UCSD students to present their short films to their peers  on the big screen. The critics chose their favorite standouts from the festival’s three sections: Experimental, Documentary, and Narrative to review. 

Experimental:

Anna’s Pick: “Good Morning News” Directed by Gabe Thomas and James Delisio

The Film Festival’s two day expanse began with the experimental films screening, and the word “experimental” was almost enough to make me roll my eyes before I even saw anything. I was afraid I’d be thrown into one abstract, pretentious 15 minute film after the other. And while some did, unfortunately, fall into the category of “Movie That is Impressed With Itself”, one short in particular stood out to me. 

“Good Morning News”, a comedy short starring Gabe Thomas and James DeLisio, with studio production by Michael Sain, had the theater in an uproar during its entire runtime. Inspired by where the three friends met, the short is set in a morning news station. Thomas explains that, “We were all working together, at our city’s public access station. And we saw lots of shows coming in…it’s different, because you’re making a TV show, with less budget, less time, and people who are coming in just because they have an interest in something. So we thought, ‘what if we took that and stretched it as far as we could?’”

While they got the idea from working together, their inspiration for the stylization of the short series is all over the place; from David Lynch to anime like “Neon Genesis Evangelion”. However, what all three of them really wanted to capture was “a descent into madness” and even  though it’s a satirical film, DeLisio is extremely grateful for their shared experience. “I’m glad I started in public access, because I think it’s a much more intimate, empathetic setting. These are just people who want to make a TV show. So they come in, and they don’t care how good it’s going to be, or who’s going to watch it, they just want to make it to make it.”

What made “Good Morning News” stand out for me, despite its short length compared to the rest of the films, was its unsettling charm. Awkward silences, deadpan live delivery, and comedy bits that you aren’t sure were intentional or not are what made  “Good Morning News” entertaining. By letting loose and exploring the odd quality of small town public access stations, the team has made a series I was enthralled by at every moment.

Tate’s Pick: “Cycle” Directed by Wangqing Jiang

A compelling, exciting work of visual experiment, “Cycle” by Wangqing Jiang featured. dolls and colorful fluids dazzling across the stage. . Despite the candy-colored excitement which saturates this short piece, an ominous foreboding runs along it as you watch the film; the dolls are not controlled by a child, but instead a strange and unsettling other. Obscured, incomplete glimpses of the human form are warped through comparison to their plastic-mold counterparts. 

“Cycle” examines, in comedic and terrifying ways, images of sexuality and physical intimacy. After dolls parade across the stage, a person’s crotch appears, the shot cutting off the upper torso and face, as a banana raises towards their genitals. The scene, simultaneously  hilarious and bone-chilling in its alienation, makes you laugh just as you grimace. Although visual cliche is sometimes fallen back on, such as when  a grapefruit is fingered in one scene, the sheer originality of the film wins over. This film is an excellent example of what can be made with experimental techniques without straying too far into the realm of the student-film cliche. 

Documentary:

Anna’s Pick: “Congratulations, You Are Now an American Citizen” Directed by Karen Avila

After the experimental portion of the first day, the documentary screening began. One of the strongest themes that was presented in nearly every single film shown was familial experiences. Whether it was through diving, racing, immigration, or art, the deepest connections between people were thoroughly explored. The one that I remember the most, though, was “Congratulations, You Are Now an American Citizen”. Avila presents the raw, conflicting feelings two parents have as they emigrated between their home state of Michoacán and California multiple times.

Eventually, they make the hard decision to stay in California so their children could have better opportunities. It’s heartbreaking to hear a mother talk about how much she misses her home, how she doesn’t fit in in California, and doesn’t have the close community she used to all while being pregnant. It’s painful to hear about a couple separated by the border, to hear about a father working two jobs, all to provide for his family, even in an apartment with ten other people.

This film proved to be incredibly honest, as it defies the common narrative about immigrants, and also shows distinctly what these people lose when they make the tough decision to immigrate. The devotion, love, and dedication these two parents showed to their children is inspiring. The film, shown entirely through home movies and interviews with the two parents, ends on a poignant note: “It’s all left behind, for a better future, for you, for my children.” 

Tate’s Pick: “Palimpsest: A Portrait of Masculinity” Directed by Kenan Chan

“Behind the Mask” is an in-depth look at the scuba diving program “DIVERsity,” dedicated to making scuba diving and marine biology more accessible to people of color. The documentary, made with touching professionalism, has an earnestness that speaks to the altruism of its subject program.  Much more in line with the sort of classic documentary as journalism than documentary as an experiment, “Palimpsest” made for a refreshing counterpoint to a section of interesting, if sometimes difficult to follow, more experimental documentary pieces.

Narrative:

Anna’s Pick: “Algorithm” Directed by Octavia Anderson

On the second day of the festival was the narrative screening. To say that every single film shown was good would be a lie; at the least, most of them were mildly entertaining, and I never fell asleep (sorry, experimental section). But one of the best shorts in the entire section was “Algorithm”, which kept my attention and had me thinking about it afterwards. The movie’s main thematic element is colorism within the Black community; Connie, the protagonist, has to grapple with the fact that the guy she likes does not find dark-skinned women attractive. It begs the question: how far would you go to change your skin tone? For Connie, as far as possible. When she’s approached by a White man, selling her a piece of technology that would let her do just that, she accepts the offer.

Things take a turn for the worst as reality sets in and she realizes the nightmare she’s been forced into when she does get the man of her “dreams”. But then she wakes up and realizes that it was all a figment of her drug-induced imagination. It felt incredibly real not only for the audience but for Connie herself. The science fiction elements of the film certainly ground it into fiction, but it’s also a reflection of society’s own opinions when it comes to colorism between Black women. 

The larger implications of the film were not lost on the audience, despite the futuristic elements, because the characters felt incredibly real. While the script was certainly well done, the real credit must go to the stars of the film. For a moment, they weren’t actors; they were three friends having a conversation that the audience was able to witness. While I wish it didn’t have to end so soon, it was an extremely strong start to the narrative section, and one that was tough to follow.

Tate’s Pick: “Lobster” Directed by Johann Milios

“Lobster”, a short, comedic “narrative” piece was, I think, the standout of the festival’s nebulously defined Narrative section. The film follows a young woman attempting to enter into that blurry realm of maturity while being followed by an imagined inflatable lobster voiced in a hilarious deadpan by Peihan Xie. The lobster questions her idealized image of adulthood, pointing out the horrifying dullness of dressing in drab greys and blues and observing, in quiet, witty rhetoricals, the absurdity of living a miserable life in a cubicle. The film captures, quite poignantly, that fleeting time of late childhood and early youth during which every sweet, carefree moment is a memento mori, and questions of life such as: why work a sad, tired job? And why go to a party with people you loathe? Take on a sudden immediacy.

Tate McFadden is the Arts and Culture Editor and Opinion Editor for The Triton 

Anna Norris is an Arts and Culture Writer for The Triton