SUNDAY SHORT: TANGLES AND KNOTS

A complex mother and daughter relationship takes a dark turn in Tangles and Knots.

Before I delve into today's "Sunday Short," a little insight into my process for selecting films. I usually go on a platform--intentionally avoiding teasers and loglines--and just watch the film of whatever movie title, still, or combination of both catch my attention. It's not really a scientific method but out of the 5-10 I watch a week (sometimes fewer), I always end up drawn to one. After watching a few this past week, I immediately had to feature Australian director Renée Marie Petropoulos's short film Tangles and Knots.

Mother and daughter relationships are incredibly complex. I won't really go deep into mine, but there were many years when it was not at all close to good. There were times when I longed for the relationship that Rory and Lorelai have, that degree of closeness where they were less like mother and daughter and more like friends. While there isn't the same fast-paced, witty banter in Petropoulos's short, Tangles and Knots features a similar relationship dynamic that becomes threatened thanks to a booze-filled teenage party. The cracks in their close relationship are exposed and compromised. The ending of the film, in particular, was completely heartbreaking.

I highly recommend checking out Tangles and Knots below. You can read an interview with Petropoulos on the Vimeo blog here: https://vimeo.com/blog/post/tangles-and-knots-renee-marie-petropoulos/