SLFS Review – Shorts Program 2: Drama

Shorts Program # 2: Drama plays Sunday July 8th at 9:30pm at The Tivoli Theater, 6350 Delmar Blvd. Tickets for film programs from July 8-12 at the Tivoli are $12 each; $10 for students with valid and current photo ID and for Cinema St. Louis members with valid membership cards. Advance tickets are on sale at the Tivoli Theatre box office (5-10 p.m. Monday-Friday and 2-10 p.m. Saturday-Sunday). Tickets are on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Shorts 2 : Drama films are, indeed, very dramatic as several deal with mortality. That’s not to say that these films that clock in under 20 minutes are a bunch of funeral dirges. There’s unexpected whimsy in ON THE WAY TO CHINA, along with a big dose of nostalgia. Coming of age figures in a short about friends in their early twenties going their separate ways, THE END, and in another about a pre-teen who learns that life doesn’t always have provide happy endings in REFLECTIONS. Two films stand out in both technique and screen acting areas. GRAVITY begins as a look at a small town grocer, then takes a turn into a two character study before its surprising finish. Subtle special effects highlight SCRAPS, a heartwarming story focusing on an incredibly sweet-natured, optimistic street person. We even get a little song and dance in CURTAINS. This program presents a great deal of variety under the drama banner.