Fest Selects: Best Lesbian Shorts, Volume 1

This diverse collection of lesbian-themed short films ranges from the comic to the dramatic, with storylines encompassing young love, children's impressions of adult relationships, and a prospective solution to the dilemma of overpriced sex toys. All nine selections were featured at festivals such as Sundance, Outfest, and Frameline. As the two funny friends in Gina Hirsch's "You Move Me" put it, there's plenty of GOLD here: Good Old Lesbian Drama. In the first-person documentary "25 Random Things I Did During My Big Fat Lesbian Depression," Chris Russo lists the activities that helped her get through a breakup, while Jenifer Malmqvist's "At the End of the Street" revolves around a Swedish woman in newly-single status who disrupts her ex-girlfriend's dinner party to reclaim her dining room table. Malmqvist also directed "Birthday," in which a celebration day doesn't go quite the way one partner hoped, although neither woman handles the situation particularly well. Other directors include Meredith Scott Lynn ("Parental Guidance"), Gianna Sobol ("Public Relations" with Towelhead's Summer Bishil), Kate A. Brandt ("Tools 4 Fools"), Erik Gernand ("Tech Support"), and P. David Ebersole ("Swimming" with folksinger Phranc as a water safety instructor). None of the films are sexually explicit, although there's a smattering of profanity and playful sex talk. A companion volume, Fest Selects: Best Gay Shorts, Volume 1, is also newly available. A solid, low-priced set of festival favorites, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)