Short on Shorts: Family Ties That Bind
Two short films, official selections programmed for screenings at the 2022 HollyShorts Film Festival August 11-20, 2022, highlight the impact of family ties on children moving into adulthood. Both demonstrate the pull of family obligations and the emotional dilemma of choosing to break free and define oneself as an individual. Vastly different, Only the Moon Stands Still and Too Rough both play out in the microcosm of family as stark variations on a theme.
Only the Moon Stands Still
Director: Johnson Cheng
Cast: Shirley Chen, Crystal J. Huang, Mardy Ma
Synopsis: The sun rises and sets. The stars dance, and fade away. Only the moon stands still. Three generations of Chinese women say goodbye to their family ballroom-dance studio.
Short on Shorts Commentary: The third generation daughter in a family of women prepares her audition tape and application packet to study at a conservatory. All the while, her mother and grandmother face the challenge of letting their family business go. Faced with the family struggles, does the daughter break away and pursue her own dreams? Or will family ties be the ones that bind? Watch the trailer.
See the film at HollyShorts: Tue, Aug 16th, 12:00 PM PDT @ TCL CHINESE 6 THEATRE || #6
Too Rough
Director: Sean Lionadh
Cast: Ruaridh Mollica, Joshua Griffin, Neshla Caplan, Kevin O’ Loughlin , Oliver Wright, Jane McCarry
Synopsis: After a night of intoxication, a hungover and hysterical Nick wakes up next to his boyfriend Charlie and must conceal him from his own homophobic and dysfunctional family.
Short on Shorts Commentary: Nick, a young gay man not out to his family, finds himself in his bedroom at home where his boyfriend unexpectedly stayed the night. The exercise of concealment becomes one of truth where the facts of Nick’s life at home play out for his boyfriend to observe. Will Nick reveal his true self and break free from the environment that forces him to suppress his identity? Or will family ties be the ones that bind? Watch the trailer.
See the film at HollyShorts: Fri, Aug 12th, 5:00 PM PDT @ TCL CHINESE 6 THEATRE || #1
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