When the film opens, we see a group of children playing with each other. The endearing image is soon overshadowed by a sense of unease that is introduced into the narrative. The viewer perceives it first before they identify the source of it. A man watches the children from afar, looking a little too intent for the audience's comfort. Unaware of a vile aspect of the adult world unfolding parallel to their carefree game, the children continue to run and scamper around. The film soon offers a jarring image, one that suddenly transforms an innocent childhood activity into one of violence and cruelty, making it amply clear for the viewer about the rest of the narrative's course. Hide and Seek is shot wonderfully with smooth camerawork and editing. It presents forth a premise, but not a conclusion, and leaves you with and at a moment of high tension.

Hide and Seek | Short Film Nominee

The thematic preoccupation of the narrative is something small and mundane, and yet, for the characters involved, it is an issue of extreme importance. That perhaps is how life is constituted too, by small moments that may seem trivial in the larger scheme of things, but it is precisely these moments that come to define and comprise our lived reality. The narrative locates itself in a rural pocket of the country where, one day, some catfish is captured for food by a man and shared with those around him. However, the activity is not as simple as it sounds, and soon becomes a topic of great discussion as well as derision by the rest of the community. The film offers a convincing and authentic glimpse into the daily affairs of the village, and the several social equations within which they come to take form. The storytelling exhibits potential, even though the cinematography could have gained from a little more stability in the visuals. Overall, however, the film remains a notable attempt at sharing its story and intentions with the audience.

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