Fringe Review

“Every Picture Tells a Story” was a series of three nights of short films made by local filmmakers presented by a local film community, IFCKC. They featured a wide range of films from horror to experimental, comedy and drama, made by a wide variety of creators across Kansas City. The Friday screening at midnight included Northeast Film Group’s Red Friday, Ace Lovelace’s masterful “O,” KC voted best actress Jessica Whitfield in “prepper,” and several others. It may also have included this author’s “All Her Exes are Dead”—  but I obviously have no bias at all towards that one.

As a filmmaker in the IFCKC, the showing was indicative of the diversity of styles and talents that can be found throughout the KC Film community. The showing closed with Manda Blanchard and her team’s Fringe-worthy short “Only Grans”, which was a comedic parody of exactly what it sounds like, but “prepper”, a dark thriller touched on religious trauma and conspiracy theories, and “O” is a black and white blend of dance and storytelling that really cannot be described without seeing it.

One of the most wonderful things about film is how it captures moments, and there were some great moments captured in these films. Terrace Wyatt faced with a vision in “O” is a scene I will not soon forget,* followed by Canyon’s powerful move for peace later in the short(try describing that without spoilers-but it’s flawless so deserved mentioning.) A backyard chase scene in Red Friday 2 felt like a nod to Friday the 13th, and their killer would fit in perfectly with Freddy, Jason, Michael, and other classic horror villains.

Tobias Sloan’s grape eating performance in “All Her Exes are Dead” hit so hard, not to mention one of the repeat stars of the night Bobby Miller Jr. who rocked every one of his roles, but especially in “Only Grans,” as the reluctant, but eventually enthusiastic subscriber.

Another memorable element for me was Jessica Whitfield’s wardrobe transition throughout “prepper.” Her journey from wearing bright clothes, eye-shadow, and outspoken hair, to a quiet braid, brown shirt, plain pants with as little decoration as possible speaks to a very real piece of religious trauma, where many women have been pressured to be “modest” in a way that doesn’t allow for creativity or artistry in what they wear. It communicates that the filmmakers have an understanding of that journey and were purposefully sharing that with their audience.

I could go on, there were many films and elements about them to discuss, but suffice it to say, there was so much to see from IFCKC and I can’t wait to see the selections for next year. Unfortunately, it is not showing again this year, but if you want to see these films and others made by the Kansas City community you can follow IFCKC on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube to find more information on their screenings and competitions.

*Honorable mention to the Stray Cat for the way this scene and others showed up so vividly on their screen (I’ve seen several of these at multiple theaters and this was by far the best one.)