The short motion picture is, perhaps, the most difficult genre in cinematography. As the time and the opportunities of the film are limited, the directors should grab the audience’s attention and convey the main idea in a way which is summed up by the phrase ’’say it quick, say it well.’’ You have to be really talented to skip the unimportant details and concentrate on the content itself.

Bright Side has chosen 12 brilliant short movies that will leave a strong impression on you and make you think after watching.

The Butterfly Circus

Happiness can be found everywhere, but it’s more important to have faith in yourself, your talents and your purpose. This inspirational and entirely overwhelming short movie, directed by Joshua Weigel, is about the triumph of the eternal spirit over the body.

Validation

Though the movie is filmed in black and white, it is surprisingly bright and colorful and evokes only positive emotions. This short movie directed by Kurt Kuenne is like a wonderful, naive fairy tale about the power of a nice and warm smile that can light up even the most gloomy day.

True

They were meeting and going to the cinema, and they were listening to music and dancing. She was reading him her roles, he was speaking to her in French, German, Russian. She was screaming in anger or passion, they were quarrelling, parting and coming together again … and so on indefinitely, over and over again, like a vicious circle of love.

L’accordeur

Failing in the renowned competition of Bernshteiner and having collapsed psychologically, the young pianist Adrian begins to work as a piano tuner. He pretends to be blind to penetrate into the intimacy of his customers. With special trainings for a week, lenses, and a cane, he is transformed into a blind man. They say when a person is deprived of some of his senses, the remaining ones often become more sensitive. He gains the trust of the customers very easily; everyone wants to see a blind piano tuner. However, he ends up witnessing something that wasn’t for his ’’blind’’ eyes.

The Gunfighter

With a cowboy hat on his head and a gun in his holster, the gun-slinger walks into a saloon somewhere in the Wild West. He is surprised to find out that his every thought is being spoken out loud by the voice of the narrator, who is a little bloodthirsty. Eric Kissack combined numerous clichés of classic and modern westerns into one short comedy, which is really entertaining and creative.

The Gift

Miss Anderson works at the city department store wrapping gifts. An extraordinary encounter with Mr Grimm, an illusionist, makes her see the magic all around her.

Spielzeugland (Toyland)

Little German boy Henrich Meissner and David Silberstein, from a Jewish family, are good friends and neighbors. The deportation of David and his family to a concentration camp is imminent. When Heinrich asks his mother about them, Frau Meissner doesn’t tell him the truth, instead she is trying to convince him that the Silbersteins are going to a new and distant place called ’’Toyland.’’ This is a story about ordinary German people, who were not afraid to put themselves at risk to save a little boy, guilty only for being a Jew.

Curfew

The main character of the film, Richie, has been struggling with depression and drug addiction for years. In the midst of committing suicide, he gets a call from his sister asking him to look after her daughter, Sophie. Richie learns some very valuable lessons from Sophie on how to enjoy the simple pleasures of life.

Spin

It’s a silent, yet musical short movie about a mysterious DJ who appears out of nowhere and is trying to change the futures of people with his turntables. He saves a bicyclist, unintentionally sacrificing the life of another person. The film is only eight minutes, but it is extremely creative and dramatic.

The Smile Man

The movie is about a man who has to live the rest of his life with a smile on his face because of nerve damage after a car accident. The author makes us ponder whether it is possible to live with a big smile on your face all the time — to smile when you’re sad or angry, when you’re alone and disappointed, and when tears are blurring your vision.

Signs

The life of an ordinary employee of a large company is boring and predictable — he feels sick and tired of the same daily routine and feels alienated and alone. One day, as he looks out the window of his office, he sees a cute lady in the opposite building. She draws a little sign on paper and they begin conversing from their respective jobs. Will they ever meet in person? Watch the film and find out.

Envelope

It’s a 17-minute short film about Evgeniy Petrov, a Soviet writer and journalist who has an unusual hobby. He writes fake letters to imaginary people and sends them to fake addresses. Who could ever imagine that someday he would receive an answer back?