Depravity - by Patrick Brooks

Introduced as ‘a short film about normal young people’, Depravity centred around the theme of ‘friendship destroyed by sex, lies and religious convictions’. With some particularly strong and emotive acting from Os Leanse as Reuben, whose screen presence and ability to reach out the audience are second to none, Depravity confronted the issue of homophobia and isolation with tact and poignancy. Whilst not the funniest short film of the evening, and whilst some of the acting felt a little wooden at times, it certainly had its glimmers of humour that evoked some well-deserved laughs. Well-directed (for the most part) by Patrick Brooks, and with a variety of impressive cinematographic flourishes (including some beautiful, aerial shots), Depravity was a professional and thought-provoking short film.

 Closer – written by Charlotte Gifford and directed by Bret Cameron

In Closer, best described as a psychological thriller, schoolteacher Anna (brilliantly played by Xelia Mendes-Jones) begins to receive unnerving text messages from her deceased partner but suspects that her pupil Luke (Oliver Canessa) may be behind the ghoulish goings-on. It was a well-structured piece, centred around the theme of obsession, with many of the trappings of a film of its genre: ominous footsteps, peering round doors and tense, suspense generating music. It even borrowed visually from Sherlock with the appearance of text messages as speech bubbles on screen. But as a result it was rather predictable, even the plot twist didn’t particularly stand out from any other attempt at a psychological thriller I’ve seen. That said, Closer did manage to have the audience on the edge of their seats (at times).

Vaudeville – by Sam Hobson

Sam Hobson’s Vaudeville was whacky from the start. Fitz (Joe Pieri) and Sean (Ronald Prokes) live in the bunker with their ‘Mother’ (the experienced actor Tim Preece), and as the food begins to run scarce their fragile existence begins to splinter. The quirky script was often genuinely funny (such as a comparison between broccoli and cigarettes), the tension between the different types of masculinity portrayed was palpable, and Preece’s theatrical cross-dressing and ‘performing’ wonderfully reminiscent of a flamboyant I Claudius with Alzheimer’s. Vaudeville opened on an up-beat note with Pieri’s grooving to music, grabbing our attention for what proved to be an emotionally bumpy ride, and closed on a more contemplative and absurd swaying dance scene. While some may suggest that the idea for Vaudeville is taken straight  from Beckett, I wouldn't say there’s anything wrong with that. It was a funny, well-directed and poignant piece which examined gender roles and interpersonal relations with a generous pinch of creativity.

Polem-Flick: Sexism in Sherlock

 In Mud And Rain – by Nick Jones

In Mud and Rain appeared at first to be a slow-paced romance, threatening soppiness, framed in the pastoral idyll of the Cambridge countryside and steeped in an indulgent dose of nostalgia (complete with vintage car and Walkman). However, with a sharp thud a darker undercurrent soon revealed itself: Young George (played by James McMullan) hits and kills a young man while driving home. With very little dialogue, much of the story was told through beautifully-filmed voyeuristic shots over McMullan’s shoulder and peering through Grantchester hedgerows. Despite a rather weak ending, the acting was generally convincing, the cinematography excellent and the snatches of dark humour appreciated by the audience.

Cambridge Shorts was a fantastic one-off showcase of some of the best student film in Cambridge. We all know that Cambridge has a wealth of budding very good actors and directors but it was refreshing to see such promising film-making talent too