EDFF 2025 Rundown: Short Film Block #2

Day 4 of the 2025 El Dorado Film Festival was jammed packed with films of every make and model, style and flavor. To kick things off, the day’s program was opened with Short Film Block #2, yet another curated collection of shorts from around the world. Block #2 once again featured an eclectic group of selections from various genres and from a wide array of exciting voices.

Here are a few impressions out of the eight films included in the block…

In director Tom Hipp’s “The Chain”, the mood is set in the opening moments as we’re introduced to a young boy named Robert (Tristan Wilder Hallett) while CCR’s “Bad Moon Rising” blasts from his radio. He walks in on his distraught mother Delilah (Debbie Diesel) who’s staring out the window as sirens echo through the neighborhood. It turns out his father, Finnigan (Matthew Schmidli) hasn’t come home. And in a world with werewolves that’s an especially bad thing. Delilah seeks the help of their neighbor, Caleb (Brian Paulette) who eventually finds Finnigan battered and bloody. Finnigan insists he’s fine, but with a full moon approaching, Delilah’s not taking any chances. Hipp’s patience pays big dividends by building domestic tension and generating loads of atmosphere. But it’s the story’s shocking payoff that ultimately packs the biggest bite.

VERDICT – 4/5

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With “The Captives”, director Talia Light Rake and screenwriter Claire Hampsey team up to craft a heartfelt adult drama that’s rich with resonating themes. Hampsey plays Jolie, a Julliard graduate who put her acting dreams on hold and moved back home to Texas to take care of her ailing mother, Emmeline (Missy Yager) after she was diagnosed with cancer. Jolie pretends to be content with bartending and hanging out watching movies with her mom. But Emmeline sees through her daughter’s facade and eventually forces Jolie to make some long overdue life-determining decisions. Superbly acted and elegantly shot, “The Captives” takes a thoughtful look at mortality, family, and finding the will to follow your dream, even when everything within you is telling you not to.

VERDICT – 4/5

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“The River” tackles the very real struggle of gambling addiction from a unique and authentic perspective. Set against the backdrop of Arizona’s Gila River Indian Reservation, the story follows a mother named Rocky (played with wrenching conviction by Rainbow Dickerson) whose gambling problem has put a crushing strain on her family. While Rocky’s life is unraveling, her Aunt Nan (Jennifer Bobiwash) has been raising her teenage daughter, Maya (Susanna Osife), teaching her the importance of staying true to their heritage. But a clash inevitably occurs when Rocky suddenly returns home late one night. The film is wonderfully directed by Clare Cooney who’s working from Claude Jackson Jr.’s moving script. Together they effectively convey the deep pain addiction causes, not just to the addict, but also to those closest to them.

VERDICT – 4/5

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In “Not Afraid”, director Mikaela Bruce highlights the cinematic truth that you don’t need a ton of dialogue to speak volumes. Such is the case in this heart-wrenching indigenous story set within the sounds and scenery of small-town Montana. A terrific Jashaun St. John plays Olivia, a high school basketball player who quits her team after being suspended. Her Aunt Betty (Kyla Garcia) insists she apologize to her coach. But Olivia’s burden is far heavier than basketball. And her suppressed pain soon becomes too much for her to bear. I won’t give away the reason behind her struggles, but Bruce reveals it with a sensitive touch. It lands an emotional punch that makes us look at Olivia’s story from a new perspective. It also opens our eyes to a broader issue which was clearly an inspiration for this powerful film.