Short Film Reviews: Alive & Tingle Monsters
Mother of Movies sees lots of short films. Most of them are great. Not all of them are released. But without some sort of promotion, they are unlikely to. Alive and Tingle Monster are two completely different short films but both unusually feature social media. Both lean heavily on issues surrounding wanted and unwanted sexual advances. One is a social media influencer and the other explains sex and disability.
First, let’s get into Tingle Monsters. You’ll be able to watch it too, it’s on their website.
ASMR TINGLE MONSTERS
Have you ever heard of ASMR? I recently came across this strange trend a few years back. Like TikTok drumming up millions of views online, ASMR is also a thing. YouTubers and other social media influencers are raking in audiences with the truckload whispering and making sounds onto all sorts of different objects.
For me, I am reminded of those metal spiders that would often be available for purchase at fetes and fairs. Putting them onto your scalp gave you a tingling sensation that slowly trickled down and made me shiver. ASMR is its shortened formal name. It’s supposed to be relaxing and for many people who subscribe to tuning into the many people doling it out, it’s pure heaven. I don’t like it. I listened to this short film over headphones and it didn’t relax me at all.
Does Whispering Give You Tingles?
Alexandra Serio is the writer-director behind this modern tale about an AMSR vlogger. Serio also plays the woman in the short film, Dee and the story combines a few topics in its ten-minute runtime. Dee runs a live stream and has plenty of followers. She is not immune to online harassment. She lives alone, and only recently moved into a new apartment after something in her personal life caused her to require to. As she whispers into the microphone, questions and comments come flying on the screen. Some positive and some quite the opposite. To keep this review as spoiler-free as possible, I will say there is quite a tonal shift midway.
What I loved about this particular short film were the brightly lit foreground and well-lit background. This kind of setting does not indicate that something bad will happen. Fans of movies like Searching, Unfriended, Guns Akimbo, or even Like Me will find something they like in this one. Serio does a great job of bringing a calm and optimistic character into a situation that should be pleasant but is not. The story is well told and delivered without any messing around. It simply gets what it needs to say out and is fun to watch at the same time.
ASMR VIDEOS
More Titles Featuring Social Media Themes
Have you heard of Cam Girls? Cam is on Netflix and shows the perils of being famous online.
Social media horror: Selfie From Hell promises a lot, but does it deliver?
Horror movies for the deaf: Soul to Keep features a whole cast of people using sign language.
Alive is a Film About Sex and Disability
I must admit, I’ve never really watched a film like this before. It’s also rare as a topic in film. Somehow though, Alive manages to bring the topic of sex, disability, and social media all into one story. It’s modern and effective and makes so apologies for bringing this sensitive topic into the light.
Alive is a Swedish language short film that runs for 23 minutes and begins by showing us the world from Viktoria’s point of view. Confined to a wheelchair and brain-damaged her carer Ida goes about her day. Ida and Viktoria may well be the same age. Under different circumstances may have run in the same circles. In this scenario, however, Viktoria is all but a shadow.
During a walk, Ida and Viktoria run into her boyfriend Bjorn. He runs up behind her and kisses her and, they talk casually about their plans. Victoria can be seen in the background before she is introduced and pleasantries are maintained. Later that day, Viktoria asks questions about Bjorn. She’s highly interested in establishing her kind of intimacy.
Her words are at first brushed aside before Ida tries to quash her tears with the idea of setting up a profile for her on Tinder. For Ida, her good intentions are surprisingly realized. She never anticipated Viktoria would want more from the scenario than what she used. Being a bystander of the life she wants and seemingly cannot have without permission to do so.
Whose Choice is it?
Of course, everyone has a right to life. The right to live the way they choose to and, Alive does a fantastic job of highlighting some real issues facing many people with disabilities. There is a small amount of tension in the final scenes as Ida takes a back seat and lets Viktoria take the reins of her well-being. Is what she is doing reckless? Does she have the right to let her make these types of decisions? All questions bubble to the surface when it comes to safety, social media, and dating in general.
Alive is treated with sensitivity by writer-director Jimmy Olsson and, adds a humorous touch to bring it to a close and was an enlightening and enjoyable viewing.
The Alive cast includes Eva Johansson, Madeleine Martin, and Joel Ödmann.
