There has been time travel before in several other films, but what makes Glitch stand out is the protagonist - a semi-naked child at the centre of all the action. As human instinct would have it, he too attempts to set mistakes right every time he travels to the past. However, we have seen enough sci-fi to know how wrong it can truly go. <br. While the butterfly effect sets in and situations spiral out of control, the short film keeps the viewer glued to the screen. The visuals are smooth and elegant, the writing is skilled and the lost child, trying to make sense of the utter disorder, is the most endearing part of it all. Add to it a sophisticated narrative progression and a brief but powerful performance by Mona Singh and an enriching viewing experience is ensured.

Glitch | Short Film of the Day

The short film is a fast-paced narrative about time travel constituted of dimly-lit shots to invoke a sense of suspense and thrill. A man sits working on a palm-sized contraption when a call interrupts the task at hand. A sudden flow of visuals reveal a dark reality that awaits him in the future. As the film closes with its concluding shot, the whole plot ties up, allowing a moment of realisation and closure for the viewer. The story boasts of skilful editing and graphics which further serve to highlight its potential. However, while the script is notable in its handling of the topic, it could have been explored a little more, allowing the flow to be more sophisticated.

Neo | Short Film Nominee

Yamini, a paranormal investigator, has arrived at an abandoned, old house, seeking the potential supernatural entities that might inhabit the space. Searching out these stories as part of her profession, she is definitely better equipped to deal with whatever is in store for her than an average person. Yamini's life is further constituted by a loving relationship and equally supportive friends. 

The message that is primary to the plot is one about the darkness within and how it can serve as the perfect raw material for all the darkness without. We soon see the truth of this proposition in the events that follow and the manner in which an internal darkness comes to grip Yamini. 
The atmosphere of eeriness that ‘Goonj’ conjures for the viewer is sure to stay with them after they are done watching the film. Even though towards the end the narrative loses a little bit of its tautness, the manner in which the world of the film and the story are built remains notable.

Goonj | Short Film Nominee

On a dark, stormy night, Amal, a man in his early thirties, parks his car by a roadside cart to buy a pack of cigarettes. However, the cart owner refuses to sell any, as he needs to quickly finish up and hurry back to his daughter. 
Amal walks back to his car when a loud cry is heard from beyond the bushes. He steps inside to find an unconscious girl lying in the field. He gently wakes her up and offers a ride to the police station. The girl, Ekaa, however, refuses to give any information, communicating only in riddles. Intriguingly enough, she happens to know Amal’s wife’s name and that they are expecting a daughter. 
Soon, the street lights go out, the weather turns to its worst and a dense, white fog looms over them, marking the advent of a string of strange events. Do the two characters have more in common than what meets the eye? Will the nature of their connection be scientific or supernatural? The narrative raises all of these questions, only to answer them at an even, gradual pace.

Ekaa: The Journey Begins | Short Film Nominee

The film opens with two brothers discussing the constraints of life after Covid-19. However, as this seemingly inane conversation soon develops, their deceased father’s mysterious and concealed briefcase is brought into play. The protagonist insists on exploring the contents of the case whereas his brother decides not to participate. 

The briefcase holds a handgun and a leather-bound journal with four points of instructions about time-travel. As the protagonist pens down the exact date and time one year into the future, he is led to an unsettling revelation, jump-starting a series of dark, strange events he holds no control over. While the film inches towards its conclusion, Murphy's law is reinstated in a manner that leaves little room for doubt or ambiguities for anything that can go wrong truly goes wrong in the protagonist's life.

4th Rule | Short Film Nominee

A boy is sitting by himself, having a cup of coffee, when he is met by the most strange character - himself, but from ten years ahead in the future. The portrayal of the protagonist immediately catches your eye with its dedication to performance. It becomes one of the strongest aspects of the film, coupled with its camerawork. The plot that is invoked and combined with the performance and visuals is complete with intrigue, murder, uncertainty, time travel and a love story gone terribly wrong. As Neeti and Vinit try to untangle the several knots of uncertainty and misunderstandings in their relationship, the narrative aspires to leave the viewer with a message about karma, and finally allowing one's positive intentions to let them move ahead unscathed in the world.

Murder on Time | Short Film Nominee

The film introduces us to a character who has been reliving the same day for two decades now. He wakes up over and over again and goes to sleep to again wake up to the same day of September seventh. What eventually begins with perhaps a suggestion of monotony and a metaphor for the cyclicality of existence and the repetitive circles that come to constitute life, soon becomes a science fiction narrative about an actual anomaly in the fabric of time that has left our protagonist stranded and doomed to live the same day till eternity. The paradox the film tackles is constituted by Abhimanyu's desperate need to cross over to the next day after September seventh to be able to create time travel and release himself from this trap. However, to be able to overcome this fateful date he precisely needs the same thing which he eventually has to create. While battling this conundrum, however, one day, the pattern of the day that he has lived for twenty years, breaks. For the first time in over 7000 days, something changes. A strange character, and eventually familiar too, awaits at his doorstep, to reveal to him the existence of innumerable different tangents of existence he has set in motion without realizing. He further invokes the idea about the stability of the universe which would collapse if he attempted to tinker with the pattern he has unknowingly become an integral part of. The film is a devoted and sincere engagement with all of these ideas, presenting forth its interpretation and portrayal of the same. While the protagonist is left to make sense of the swiftly unfolding events before him, what happens next would determine the fate of the universe. It is at this juncture the narrative allows itself to conclude, with a quick glimpse of what truly lays ahead.

Continuum | Short Film Nominee

The filmmaker shares that she was inspired by the Netflix series, Dark, to make this film. 
While the film is far from any sense of comparison for the viewer who has not seen the series, it is nevertheless quite funny. A girl is casually taking a usual stroll on her terrace when she has an
encounter with her future self. The latter is dressed in astronaut clothing with a silver helmet made
of foil paper, and has pink hair, which wouldn’t be funny if it weren’t an aware ridicule of the genre. As
soon as the girl from the future introduces herself, the girl from the present, instead of “freaking out” as
is expected of her, starts off on a rant, “What the hell is wrong with you, time-travelling
twits?” What follows next is surely hilarious!

Time Traveling Troubles  | Short Film Nominee

The film locates itself on a parallel timeline in 2080. The world, much like our contemporary existence, is plagued by a virus. Within the universe of the film, it threatens to consume human existence. At the same time, the story portrays 2020 as a wonderful year for everyone on the timeline. 

The narrative engages with androids, time travel, the adverse consequences of playing with the fabric of time, and ties it all together with smooth graphics and storytelling. It is these two elements which especially enrich the final result. Future projects, however, can benefit more if the various elements are tied with performances which are as consistent as the former.

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