Whether in death, sexual coming-of-age or lack of emotional accountability, the consistent thematic vein of this collection of short films is that of female presence, be it one of empowerment or otherwise. Why these girls are "golden" isn't exactly clear, but since there is a golden shower shown quite vividly in one of the films, the assumption is that it's an amusing inside joke for those that relish impropriety.
Much like most Official Selection programs, this grouping starts with a short animated film to acclimate the viewing palate. The Girl & the Hunter is a brief, simplistically drawn film about a young girl whose tears threaten to flood her entire village. Its mediocrity is then challenged by the shocking and engrossing Bosnian short, Smart Girls, wherein a young girl decides to lose her virginity with an older family friend that decides to use her as a toilet afterwards.
North American short Cookie is somewhat less controversial, insomuch as Jonathan Silverman doesn't poop on Jennifer Finnegan, mainly because he's a ghost. Despite having some comic undertones, this somewhat clumsy but well-intentioned title is a tale of grief and moving on after the death of a loved one.
Heavy Heads is a brief animation about a depressed woman with an enormous head that seduces a fly, which passes the time until the acutely assembled and fascinating documentary I am a Girl! takes the stage, telling the story of 13-year-old Joppe, who may have been born a boy physically, but is a girl in every other way.
Next up is strange funereal short Wee Requiem, which features a dead mouse and an abundance of grieving creatures, which ties in thematically to thwarted celebration film Rhonda's Party, wherein a woman's 100th birthday celebration is ruined when she dies one day prior.
These titles are far superior to the awkward and laughably bad Korean short Teamwork, wherein a girl and her grandmother participate in a three-legged race. There's a lot of overacting and screaming.
Much like most Official Selection programs, this grouping starts with a short animated film to acclimate the viewing palate. The Girl & the Hunter is a brief, simplistically drawn film about a young girl whose tears threaten to flood her entire village. Its mediocrity is then challenged by the shocking and engrossing Bosnian short, Smart Girls, wherein a young girl decides to lose her virginity with an older family friend that decides to use her as a toilet afterwards.
North American short Cookie is somewhat less controversial, insomuch as Jonathan Silverman doesn't poop on Jennifer Finnegan, mainly because he's a ghost. Despite having some comic undertones, this somewhat clumsy but well-intentioned title is a tale of grief and moving on after the death of a loved one.
Heavy Heads is a brief animation about a depressed woman with an enormous head that seduces a fly, which passes the time until the acutely assembled and fascinating documentary I am a Girl! takes the stage, telling the story of 13-year-old Joppe, who may have been born a boy physically, but is a girl in every other way.
Next up is strange funereal short Wee Requiem, which features a dead mouse and an abundance of grieving creatures, which ties in thematically to thwarted celebration film Rhonda's Party, wherein a woman's 100th birthday celebration is ruined when she dies one day prior.
These titles are far superior to the awkward and laughably bad Korean short Teamwork, wherein a girl and her grandmother participate in a three-legged race. There's a lot of overacting and screaming.
