Filmmakers today have it easy compared to their ancestors. They're lucky. With the advances in technology and easy access to equipment, it's easy to make a film. But, the challenges are still there. No matter how easy it is to get your hands on a DSLR camera and edit your film on your laptop, telling a good story is still a challenge. And when it comes through, it's a real victory. Thanks to my job, I get to watch a lot of short films, and I've realized awhile ago that to tell a story and to tell it well is harder to achieve in a short film compared to a feature. How can you get everything together in a few minutes and leave the audience with the feeling that they just witnessed a resolution, solved a mystery, understood your story?

Some short films are like fragments of life, some feel like chunks from a feature, some are like puzzles, but MOTUS by FatCat Films is a bit more. In 3 minutes and 30 seconds, you get to solve a mystery, understand a complex relationship, and be surprised. Even feature films fail to achieve these sometimes! I can't recall the name of the filmmaker I am about the quote, (it was Martin Scorsese, Abel Ferrara, or Charlie Kaufman... I know, I know, they're all ridiculously different from one another), but I remember him saying that film is the only moving medium that allows you to tell a story through composition and silence. That's why every choice is critical, every element in a single frame is crucial, and what you choose to show is the story. I think FatCat Films achieved this in MOTUS. They told a story that is honest and stark in three and a half minutes. When you watch it, you know for a fact that every single moment is the result of a conscious choice.

Since the movie is quite short, I won't ruin it for you by trying to explain the plot. I think all you need to know is that it is a story about a man and a woman, and it reminds me of Woody Allen's Crimes and Misdemeanors. I highly recommend this movie to everyone. not just because it is a powerful and interesting story, but also because it's simply good filmmaking.

Watch the film:

-- Eren