The short film is not something we see a great deal of in main stream cinema. Even in the independent film world, where they are more available, short films do not have much presence. Although now with the ever-expanding internet, accessibility and distribution of these cinematic gems are easier than ever. The following are five short reviews of five short films from the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival, all of which are online for the public to view for free. ‘Piece of Cake’ is the story of a young immigrant woman who is establishing a new life in New York City. Working hard hours for a pushy and unsympathetic boss, Katya barely finds the time to get away for what should be the happiest moment of her life, but isn’t. Though we only know Katya for a brief period of time, director Cynthia Boorujy ensures that despite Katya’s broken English, her anxiety and sadness translate loud and clear. By the end of this ordinary yet significant day, we see that Katya’s life is not so easy, contrary to what the title suggests.

The short ‘Wedlock,’ directed by Chris Callahan, is a mindless moment of not-that-funny and obvious comedy. When a thief breaks into the house of a rather unhappily married couple, the husband sees this as more of a way out than a threat. But as the diluted plot thickens, as much as it can, anyway, we learn that the joke may very well be on him. Perhaps a good idea in theory, this seven minute film loses it humor not only in the poor, unconvincing acting, but in its sheer predictability as well.

Director Brian Durnin brings from Ireland the short ‘The Secret Language.’ This sweet yet slightly troubling film is about the young James and his father, who use Irish as a secret language to discuss their spy work. The secrecy and the fantasy eventually erupts into a disturbing act of violence on the part of the boy, causing their covert operation to be exposed to the public. The short raises the issues of the imagined versus the real as well as a son’s devotion and near idol worship of his father. Though a bit confusing, this short is overall charming and enjoyable.

‘Torte Bluma’ is based on the true experience of German commandant, Franz Stangl, at the Treblinka concentration camp. It portrays the unusual master-servant relationship that he has with the Jewish prisoner who cooks his meals. This masterfully constructed short directed by Benjamin Ross easily crams a piece of history as well as a chilling and heart-breaking story into 18 minutes. The utterly horrific experience of the prisoner when he is reunited with his father in the camp is so real and so upsetting on a basic human level that the sadness and sacrifice that he makes is tangible and transcendent. This unforgettable short film will leave you shaken to the core.

From the Netherlands comes the 10 minute short directed by Boris Paval Conen called ‘Dilemma’. While on what seems like a mundane jog, a man encounters a boy on a bike, and the two begin to playfully race. When they reach an intersection, the man stops, but the boy continues, peddling into the street in front of an oncoming truck. Just before the truck hits, time stops for all but the jogger, who now holds the power of life and death in his hands. The source of the film’s title, the man’s dilemma is if he alters the trucks path to save the life of the child, then who will die in the boy’s place? ‘Dilemma’ brilliantly follows the man’s thought process without a single word being uttered, resulting in an exciting nail-bitter.

All of the above shorts are available at http://www.tribecafilmfestival.org/video-shorts.html. I urge you, if you are even remotely interested, to take the time to watch some of these films. The resource for this previously unattainable bit of cinema is now available, and it would be wasteful to not take advantage of it.