Pâté

This film has the makings of a cult classic. I've seen it three times already and there's a small (but growing) group of fans who can't get enough of the film. It's creative, visual, witty (if you like your humor very dark!) and, above all, provocative. Each single frame shines with an intensity and richness, capturing the beauty and uniqueness of the director's very bizarre world. An original vision from a very talented young director.

I can't get over how beautiful this film is. I saw it at the LA Shorts Festival last week, and after sitting through the usual grim, little stories, this film exploded off the screen with colors and visuals and set design that just blew you away. But the film's more than a visual feast (and you need to see the film to understand how appropriate the word "feast" is!), it's also an intelligent look at relationships, between mothers and daughters, and between men and women. As a woman I found the allegory particularly strong, and the conclusion a shocking reminder of the constant battle for dominance. I warn you, there's some shocking scenes, and I applaud the director for taking on issues and images that too many other directors shy away from (or use for simply suferficial crasseffect). A totally original film that I know will be classic.

(PS. I checked out the LAShorts Fest web site later and found that it didn't win, which is a sad reflection on the jury. They went for a little safe film that sums up the festival really).

I caught this film at Raindance. It's a remarkable piece of work, full of life and poetry. It reminded me of Fellini and Greenaway in it's visual language and vivid imagery.

Pate was head and shoulders above the other films at Raindance, and more memorable than most films coming out of mainstream cinema. I only wish Hollywood would make films as rich as Pate, instead of the bland, formulaic 'blockbusters' they continual churn out. We need more imaginative and provocative films like Pate. I'm looking forward to seeing the director's first feature.

This film is visually one of the most impressive that I have ever seen on the short circuit. The concept and look has a Darren Aronofsky/David Lynch feel, but at the same time is completely unique. While the concepts are extremely outlandish and often absurd, the superior directing and art design pull them off with ease.

"Pate" is one of those all-too-rare short films that creates a startling and unique world onto itself. It doesn't try to mimic other films, or make futile gestures to imitate formuliac Hollywood plots and narrative structures. Instead, the post-apocalyptic spirit of Agnieszka's short film is closer to playwrights Eugene Ionosco and Samuel Beckett's theatre of the absurd and the dystopian wastelands envisioned by such writers William S. Burroughs and J.G. Ballard than the cinema's usual science fiction and doomsday dramas.

Although the storyline unfolding throughout this beautifully designed piece is doused in a nightmarish glow, it isn't without humor. The filmmaker creates images that reside in the gap between dark comedy and garish tragedy that could only be born out of the 20th century and its many discontents.

I can honestly say that "Pate" is one of the more unique short films that I have seen. As a fellow artist, it is inspiring to see a kindred spirit who delights in running against the grain of our collective expectations, in order to find something fresh, striking and new. In "Pate," art, surprises, dreams and nightmares find a curious, new place to call home. And adventurous viewers are invited to come inside for a close and personal tour. Enjoy. ---- Neil Kendricks