Savannah Film Festival: Global Shorts: HER Story — a hyper-focus on women

‘A Hysterical Girl’ directed by Kate Novak 

“A Hysterical Girl” revisits Sigmund Freud’s case study on a girl he calls Dora. The short draws connections to Freud’s theories on femininity still being used in modern times. 

Novak set the tone for the rest of the shorts — the audience was going to see how it feels to be a woman. It dived right in to the retelling of Freud’s case, but told in Dora’s point of view. Dora speaks of being raped, of how no one takes her seriously, and of her fears. While Dora speaks, a montage is shown of rape victims telling a story like Dora’s, but met with criticism. The film demonstrated that, as a society, not much has changed in how we deal with stories like Dora’s.

‘Blocks’ Directed by Bridget Moloney 

A mother starts to vomit plastic bricks in Bridget Moloney’s comedy.  

“Blocks” is a beautiful and funny film that illustrates the stress of a stay-at-home mom’s life. It moves quickly as we see her tasks never seem to end or get finished. The throwing up of bricks is comical yet startling to see on screen. The film speaks directly to parents — sometimes they need time to wind down, or they, too, might start vomiting their kid’s toys. 

‘Avalanche’ Directed by Heather Jack 

Jo McDowell lands an important meeting that would further her career after a recent miscarriage. She must choose between telling the truth or what would sell. “Avalanche” is comedy based off a true story. 

“Avalanche” explores the emotions of having a miscarriage, which, while being common, is illustrated in the film as a tattoo. 

‘Kim’ Directed by Maria Vattimo 

Kimberly Landle, a professional ballerina, opens her dance studio and uses it to speak on domestic abuse.  

Kim’s story is told in an empowering way, retelling her past abusive relationship and her self re-discovery through dance. Dance became healing, she realized. When she opened her studio, she opened doors to a safe place for victims of abusive relationships. “Kim” goes to show that people can still find happiness after pain.