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To get you into the spirit of the holiday season – and prepare you for both the joy and hostility that it brings – we bring you four Christmas shorts that you can watch for free right here!
This is Christmas (dir. Alex Norris, UK)
A couple’s quiet Christmas dinner becomes the scene for an ever-so-British clashing of wills in this absurd dark comedy. As husband and wife exchange passive-aggressive snipes in the form of politely phrased criticism of the food and wine, Alex Norris highlights the thinly veiled resentment and bitterness that can sour any festive evening.
Smoke My Christmas (dir. Phil Peythieu, France)
A homeless man’s pursuit of his last cigarette sends him tumbling down the grubbiest of rabbit holes in Phil Peythieu’s near-wordless, adults-only animation. A fleeting journey through a hallucinogenic vision of the indulgences of the night, the urban wonderland of Smoke My Christmas achieves a colourful mix of the sordid and whimsical.
Unwrapped (dir. Vick Krishna, USA)
When two low-level employees are tasked with wrapping some last-minute gifts, the mutual desire to clock out of work leads to an overblown struggle for the last piece of tape. Though the short’s goofy, slow-mo fight scene channels the competitiveness of this very commercialised time of the year, Vick Krishna’s comedy ultimately concludes on a seasonal note of sharing and forgiveness.
Mr. Christmas (dir. Nick Palmer, USA)
Opening with the annual commencement of a dazzling display of festive lights set to “America the Beautiful”, Nick Palmer’s charming documentary depicts the life and work of a man who seems to elevate holiday celebrations to the level of patriotic duty. As people journey from across the country to witness the excessive spectacle at the front of Bruce Mertz’s house, Palmer finds humour and poignancy in the fame, dedication and bittersweet past of the man behind the lights.
