#femtober

Every year for Femtober, I watch up to 5 short films. Shorts are always kind of a mixed bag for me. I’ve watched some really interesting shorts from up-and-coming directors like Chloe Okuno, Mariama Diallo, and Nikyatu Jusu. However, shorts tend to also be some of the weaker entries year to year. When it comes to low budget short films, unfortunately horror seems to be the biggest weak spot. Many filmmakers also tend to fall into the trap of creating parts of a narrative film instead of a fully fleshed out story and idea. Let’s take a look at the shorts I watched in 2024.

Junior dir. by Julia Ducournau

Junior doesn’t reinvent the wheel when it comes to puberty body horror, but as an early Julia Ducournau project, it is fascinating to watch. Like Raw (2016) and the Palme d’Or winner Titane (2021), Junior doesn’t shy away from being…well, disgusting. It’s an unflinching look at a teen girl’s body, told in an appropriate, relatable way. And its themes definitely carry over into her later works, though Junior never feels incomplete. In fact, unlike Ducournau’s feature-length works, Junior finishes with a surprisingly sweet conclusion. An acceptance of one’s body, like in Raw and Titane, but also a new beginning. This was my second favorite of the shorts this year…

Marta dir. by Lucía Forner Segarra

…and Marta was my favorite. As I stated in the intro, horror shorts can be so difficult, and so can comedy. Forner Segarra smartly and succinctly combines the two genres with ease. Often when it comes to horror comedy, the comedy tends to win out. This is not the case in Marta, which delivers an appropriate gut punch of terror at the end. Forner Segarra hasn’t yet made any feature films, but I’m definitely interested in seeing what she puts out later in her career. She also has made two other shorts starring Thaïs Blume, so I’ll absolutely be checking those out in a later Femtober as well.

The King and Queen of Halloween dir. by Anna Maguire, Stuart Spears

I thought this was going to be a cute little short, something sweet and Halloweeny while also being fun. This is not what that was. The King and Queen of Halloween is fine if you’re into more meanspirited Halloween fare, but I can’t say I’m always a fan. It also lacks a lot of substance, and ultimately feels generic. Very middle-of-the-pack in this year’s shorts.

Used Body Parts dir. by Venita Ozols-Graham

I don’t want to be too harsh on Used Body Parts, but I also don’t have anything positive to say about it. Watching the film and looking at the rest of her filmography, it’s obvious Venita Ozols-Graham has a passion for the genre and filmmaking as a whole. But creativity sometimes means pulling back when you know your own limitations. I get the Texas Chainsaw reference when I watch Used Body Parts, but its bad acting and nonexistent story don’t really do its decent special effects work any favors. Clearly Ozols-Graham likes blood and gore, which is no crime, but the rest of the film just hasn’t caught up yet with that vision.

Seeing Green dir. by Chelsea Stardust

im so tired My health is a little better now, but my throat is still sore

5. Tenderness

finally my two beloved ocs together and not only in my mind

🎃Inktober: Day 3🎃 . 💖💖 pose credit goes to the lovely @broken-melody-box !! 💖💖😻😻 . shes so beautiful 💕... shes Joan of Arc but goth and maybe gayer 💕 ive decided that this character is like a necromancer knight. 🤔 like a knight of the night... 🤔🤔 like a death seer with a responsibility... 🤔🤔🤔 lmao. u can add ur guesses! . 💕💕 thanks again to @broken-melody-box 💕💕shes very beautiful...💖 make sure u guys go and give her a follow!!! 💖💖😻😻

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