Gabriel (1999)
Directed by Renaat Coppens
Genre: Drama / Fantasy / International
Runtime: 11 min, color
Country: Belgium
Language: English in dubbed
IMDB
Awards:
Prize For The Best Flemish Short, FLANDERS International Film Festival 1999
A movie with an Agnes of God and The Sixth Sense feel to it. How does it feel to be an angel growing up in a monastery? Gabriel doesn’t think it’s cool. For one, he feels that his wings are taking too long to grow; for another, he thinks that nuns are dangerous.
This film uses music effectively to create the feeling of eerie surroundings. While it drags in the beginning, the core message of Gabriel should never be missed. In the end, it’s not so much about angels as how people from different walks of life see reality in different ways.
Gabriel’s casting is perfect. Gabriel, the nun Sylvia and Tony are effective in conveying innocence, spirituality and human life. The scene depicting the young angel as he peaks into the lifestyle of nuns is well-handled, and the revelation that they smell is a funny twist. The sound of a crying cat while the nuns are having dinner is rather poignant.
The film is really able to probe into the character of little Gabriel since the movie is told from his point of view. His thoughts rather effectively reveal the mind of a child and angel who sometimes innocently questions the practices of “the old man.” In a rather creative way, the movie argues through Gabriel that angels do have free will and that sometimes they feel that God is taking too long to decide. Sounds unbiblical? But when you think about it, that angels have a free will may be the reason why two thirds of God’s angels rebelled from the creator, eventually becoming fallen angels who now live guess where?
Renaat.Coppens.-.Gabriel.1999.belgium.(auess).avi 
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Possum (1997)
Directed by
Brad McGann
Runtime: 15 min
Country: New Zealand
Language: English
Some Infos
Even stray dogs remain elusive to Little Man, a nine-year-old boy who seeks to understand the remote world around him. He finds refuge with Kid, his younger autistic sister who provides him with a brief glimpse into another world. But when Kid is forced to conform to unspoken family rules this sensitive connection is broken forever.
Possum is Brad McGann's fourth short film and like his earlier work it examines characters who are outsiders on an emotional quest for a sense of belonging. Hovering between real events and the imagination of a young boy, Possum is the filmmaker's most personal and risk-taking work to date.
Brad.McGann.-.Possum.1997.new.zealand.(auess).avi [/quote]