The Culture

An usher and aspiring musician introduces his sister to a job within an orchestra at the last minute, which looks like it will work out well for her. Confusion over seating leads to an awkward interaction though, which threatens the sister's chances as it gets out of control.

The running time and the subtitles put me off from trying this one, but actually it flows really well even if it is longer than many shorts I normally watch. As a dark comedy it has a nice constant sense of awkwardness within its downward spiral of a lead character. It is never hilarious but it is engaging in its journey, with the only downside that the ending (while solid) feels a bit anti-climatic as that downward spiral sort of ends. In terms of tone it pitches it just right in that it is hard to watch in a way, but yet also engaging. Technically the film is incredibly polished; it looks great, is filled with great shots, and makes the absolute most of a terrific location.

It is very much a 'festival' sort of short film more than an online hit I suspect, but it works well and has a nice pace to go with the awkward tone.