Welcome to Your Daily Short, a new feature on Film.com that will highlight and stream a short film at high noon. Every weekday. Every week.
TODAY’S SHORT: “14e Arrondissement” (Alexander Payne)
RUNNING TIME: 6:46
WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH IT: Well, chances are that you already have. “14e Arrondissement” was the concluding segment of the wildly uneven omnibus film “Paris, je t’aime,” and as far as I’m concerned, it towers over the other contributions. Alexander Payne is one of the most rightfully revered filmmakers around, but I was nevertheless surprised by his success in the short form. His films never go for the cheap thrill or the easy connection – the bountiful rewards of a film like “Sideways” are not derived from blasts of self-contained sentiment, but from a delicate latticework of love, loss and self-loathing. Anyone who has seen “The Descendants could tell you that Payne’s work takes a little time to find its rhythm, but the details just dig so deep.
Having said that, “14e arrondissement” condenses the immensely satisfying experience of Payne’s features into a tight little reverie that clocks in at just under seven minutes. The story of a Denver mail courier’s trip to The City of Lights, the film is as warm and wistful as anything Payne has ever made (and Margo Martindale absolutely nails the filmmaker’s delicate balance between strident hope and tender resignation.
Watch Yesterday’s Daily Short: “Family Photo”
Do you have a favorite short film that you would like us to feature as Your Daily Short? Whether it’s something you love, something you made, or both, send it along to Filmdotcomshorts@Gmail.com and you might see it on the site!
Categories: ColumnsTags: Alexander payne, Margo martindale, Paris, Paris J'Taime, Short Film, Your Daily Short