Writers & Shorts I've Enjoyed This Week

I set myself a challenge this week: to watch one short film every day. Some of these shorts were made years ago, others were released just this year - but what they all share is a sharp sense of relevance, strong storytelling and confident direction.

Someone at the BFI recently reminded me that “a good short is one person trying to do one thing.” The best shorts are focused - they follow one character in pursuit of a single, often simple goal. We’re not bogged down by exposition or backstory; instead, the writer trusts the audience, revealing just enough through behaviour, dialogue and tone.

Below are seven short films (and the writers behind them) that embody that principle beautifully - filmmakers whose work I’ll definitely be enjoying going forward and keeping an eye on.

Oli Beale - Good Luck Fuck Face

Two friends brainstorm the worst possible sentence to tweet from one of their famous husband's accounts as revenge for cheating. It's an assassination attempt done with words rather than bullets. But things don't quite go as expected.

Paul & Simon Wade - A Moral Man

A right-to-die evangelist must confront their morality as a routine visit is thrown off course by a shocking revelation.

Will Peppercorn - Dive

When estranged daughter Frances dies in a climate activist stunt gone wrong, her father Paul, a deep sea saturation diver who has made his career working in offshore oil, is left devastated. Wracked with guilt, and disillusioned with the industry he has given his life to, he returns to the rigs.

Sam Baron - Tall, Dark and Handsome

Varun discovers his girlfriend has a history of dating Indian men and can't shake it off.

Veronique Christie & Elaine Spires - Only The Lonely

When 70-year-old Elspeth loses her beloved husband George, life becomes intolerable. She feels abandoned and alone until circumstances lead to an unlikely friendship.

Watch it here.

Ben Norris - Monitor

In a future where prospective parents are assessed by the state, Jenna and Fi must raise a robot 'baby' before being allowed to start a family. But will they get the result they want, and deserve?

Jonatan Etzler - The Swimmer

Outside a swimming pool, a car belonging to a sniper is discovered. The police are therefore on site to arrest the owner. But when the man in question refuses to get out of the pool, a situation arises that no one could have predicted. This is a story based on a real event, told with a lot of humour.