These Bizarre Films Have a Story to Tell
These Bizarre Films Have a Story to Tell
Film can be a great teaching tool. Sometimes, we can learn more from one great story than we can from hours of study and lecture on the same subject. At the NFB, we have plenty of traditional films that are used to educate and enlighten. But we also have a healthy share of not-so-traditional films, films we like to call “outside the box.”
Some of these films have a point to make, and they take a pretty roundabout trip to tell them. But that doesn’t make them any less effective. In fact, because they’re so weird, they’re often more memorable than your straightforward, talking-head documentary.
Here are 5 films that are completely bizarre yet come with very important lessons. Enjoy.
It’s a Crime
So, here’s an interesting little movie that attempts to teach us about the repercussions of seasonal work, and how the damage can be mitigated by making use of a laid-off labour force. The interesting part is that we’re being taught all of this by a thief; a pissed-off thief who hates that during the winter months his heists are all busts because the safes are all empty. He’s even more upset that he must resort to robbing individual people, and you know, that’s always a gamble. This film is the epitome of outside the box.
It’s a Crime, Wolf Koenig, provided by the National Film Board of Canada
Git Gob
This super-short film comes to us courtesy of the 5th edition of Hothouse, our animation program for emerging filmmakers. It’s a lesson in perspective, as two creatures debate the nature of a hole in the ground that they stumble upon. One creature says hole, the other says hat, and each of them prove that the other’s not wrong.
Git Gob, Philip Eddolls, provided by the National Film Board of Canada
The Apprentice
Since the first day I stepped into the Film Board, I have always found this to be one of the strangest films in the collection. I mean, anything coming from Richard Condie is going to be a little wacky, but this one is really something. It’s a morality tale about taking the wrong road, but it’s told to us by two fools who meet at a crossroads. I guess it just goes to show – we’ve got something to learn from everyone.
The Apprentice, Richard Condie, provided by the National Film Board of Canada
Sweet Childhood
The point of this film is crystal clear – nostalgia is not all it’s cracked up to be. At least not for our heroine. For us, however, it’s 3 minutes of pee-in-your-pants comedy gold. This film was released as part of a series called Comic Strip Chronicles, and honestly? It’s a gift from heaven. When our heroine discovers an old cassette tape while packing for a move, she’s transported back to her childhood. And she’s positively mortified.
Sweet Childhood, Zviane, provided by the National Film Board of Canada
Oh Sure
I couldn’t resist – one more entry from Richard Condie made the cut. Once again, we’ve got two men who meet up, but this time it’s in a park. One guy just wants to read his paper in peace, while the second man is intent on engaging him in his acrobatic feats. It’s a little film that goes to great lengths to make it’s point – trying to impress others is futile.
