Meraki, a Greek word with no English counterpart, refers to that part of an artist's being, their soul, essence, that they invest in their creative endeavor. Consequently, the horizon of expectation that the short film sets for you suggests an exploration of the creative process, the artist's relationship with his work, and perhaps, the completion of a project he is portrayed to be struggling with in the first few minutes of the film. 
However, the viewer is deliberately kept unaware of the deeply disconcerting events the narrative instead is moving towards. Yes, it will be a story about writing and creating, but would it be in the manner you expect it to be? 

As the protagonist's preoccupation with a twisted idea of creativity continues to overpower his relationship with writing, the film soon becomes a thriller that does not take refuge in the shadowy world of dim-lit visuals. Instead, this is a realm of sunlight and bright frames, allowing it to accentuate its core intentions. It is not a story marked by a single, grand act of violence per se on which rides everything, instead, it is its execution and the build-up leading to it that forms the most notable aspect of the film, further enabling it to achieve all that it had set out to.

Meraki | Short Film of the Day

The short film opens on a note marked by a sense of foreboding that would come to mark the entirety of the narrative. It shows stylistic zeal, enhanced by seamless editing and competent visuals that allow the story to truly amplify its unease and disconcertment for the viewer. Smooth transitions in between scenes blend into each other with a headiness that further helps to pronounce the mental and emotional struggles of the protagonist on his way back after an unexpected visit to presumably his therapist. Additionally, the visuals employ a play with colours and light to allow the spectator a glimpse into the suffocation and the sense of isolation the protagonist is battling. While the film is a notable achievement of skill and technique, it only offers a cause, and not an effect with regards to its protagonist's life and motivations. If the team decides to explore the latter, it would perhaps be an endeavour to look forward to.

Lone | Short Film of the Day

Soon after Om and Amit experiment with DMT, the chaotic, disorienting ride of ‘Into the Mind’ (a play on the phrase about entering a suggested wilderness?) begins. A clandestine ritual with a shaman is coupled with the drug that soon leaves the two men losing a hold on their sanity. Their tryst begins with heady ideas of spirituality, otherworldly creatures, a pursuit of the meaning of existence, with death being a constant thematic concern throughout. The film’s strongest aspect is its storytelling, and the visual experiments it adopts to portray it. It would have been interesting to see different choices for the background score, especially in the second half when it becomes reminiscent of a very iconic television series, perhaps potentially taking away a little from all that the film has to offer in its own uniqueness and individuality. On the whole, nevertheless, the end result remains earnest, dedicated and deeply engaging for the viewer.

Into the Mind | Short Film Nominee

The short film is an engaging psychological thriller that takes us into a night in Sid and Meera's life. The opening of the narrative establishes not only Meera’s profession as an environmental conservationist, but also her beliefs and ideas towards animals, and humans' relationship with them. However, the beginning marks the onset of something else as well- Sid’s disturbing fixation with a centipede Meera did not let him kill that night. 

As Sid’s sanity spirals into absolute chaos, he loses all sense of night and day, reality and dreams, and begins to see the worm everywhere. The story and its premise is a unique one, sure to capture the viewer’s attention. The writing further ropes in relationship dynamics, eventually tying the narrative with the suggestion that the love shared between two people, no matter how tormented or disoriented, always remains an integral component of their lives.

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