The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday is the story of characters who love their job but are very bad at it. The events of this short film are placed before the 2022 film The Bad Guys, and since I haven’t seen that, my review will be based on just this narrative of 20 minutes. Basically, Wolf, Tarantula, Snake, Shark, and Piranha are good at planning and everything, but in their bid to overcomplicate things, they end up doing more good for society than bad. Also, not many seem to understand that being a villain is hard work. Sure, they are the most interesting characters in any universe, but they lack empathy and possess a simple desire to watch the world burn, which extends beyond basic selfishness. But characters like the ones in The Bad Guys or Despicable Me just see the iconic lines and start craving that lifestyle. They don’t bother to do an empathy or priority check beforehand, and that is the great tragedy of our times and their lives.

We haven’t watched the 2022 film, but knowing the bad guys are going to turn good, the events of this 2023 short film simply have us rolling our eyes at these people’s attempts to be so bad. You can just predict that the wolf’s eyes are going to turn big and round, and he will look like a lost puppy that will convince everyone to look past his pretentious despicability and just give him a tight squeeze and lots of kisses. There is the snake who uses his tail as a finger to sass around and make a point, and that is a very resourceful thing to do. We have almost begun to understand how some people are able to hold the snakes in their hands when visiting the zoo. Shark is a cutie. He sees blood but retains intelligence instead of getting hungry, which is already proof that he has a lot more emotions as well. Piranha and Tarantula are the muscles and brains of the group, which is already an indication that nothing is really serious, but our favorite character is Tiffany Fluffit, the reporter. She is just so silly overall that she has made us laugh as much as all the bad guys put together. The teeth and glasses are a nice touch. Either way, the following is a summary and ending of The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday.

Spoiler Alert

Why do the group plans of a Heist-macular go awry?

The gang is looking forward to Christmas because all the security guards will be on holiday, and they will get free rein to rob the banks as much as they want. This makes sense according to the rules of this made-up world. But it all changes when the group’s car accidentally catches the inflatable Santa, who is the city’s mascot, and it catches fire after they manage to release it. The holiday spirit has entirely gone down, and people have decided that they will come back to work since there is nothing to look forward to. That means that the gang won’t be able to carry on with their heist as planned. Therefore, they come up with a plan to restore the holiday cheer so that they may rob the city as planned. But that proves to be easier said than done since none of them are able to recreate the Santa mascot, and that leads to some terrifying-looking inventions, including a scary Santa balloon and a junky Santa robot. None of these are substitutes for the adorable Santa they burned, so Wolf has the idea to rob the department store and give those gifts to everyone in the city as an early Santa present. That would cheer them up. While there are hiccups with that as well since the gang members are more used to stealing gifts than delivering them, they eventually complete this mission, and people feel positive about the upcoming holiday. But Wolf wants to make sure that people are as excited about it as before to ensure their heist, and that is when they plan to use the ice-shaving machine to create snow for the entire city.

Are the bad guys able to pull off Heist-acular?

Wolf sets the machine to 10, when he was just supposed to set it to 5, because he simply wanted to go the extra mile to restore Christmas celebrations. That backfires, and the entire city gets engulfed in a snowstorm as the machine backfires. The bad guys must turn it off at any cost, and the robot proves to be the answer, since that is the only thing strong enough to withstand the storm. Wolf has to operate the robot from within while the rest of the members hold on to each other for dear life. Finally, Wolf manages to turn off the machine, and the city has snow once again, without the storm, and everyone is happy. It also helps that they have found a new mascot in the robot, which none of the bad guys were expecting, so it is a personal win for Tarantula as well.

However, at the end of The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday, the gang finds that they can’t do a heist because all of them have fallen sick. Finally, the consequences of their own accidents prevented them from carrying out their plans, and the annual tradition of Heist-acular is canceled forever. To put them all in a further bad mood, they find that Santa has left presents for them since their efforts for the city have placed them on the ‘nice list.’ The gang leads a sad life, but they know how to bounce back, and they immediately start making plans for getting onto Santa’s ‘naughty list’ for next year.

Final Thoughts

It is easy to tell why these gang members are so likable. We have been convinced to watch the film after this whole thing to see where the bad guys manage to consciously make a turn to be the good guys. Hopefully, in the meantime, we will get more short films from this franchise in the future.

Directed by Misan Harriman, Netflix’s short film, The After is a gut-wrenching tale about a man who is in pain and who can’t seem to get over a tragic event that happened in his life in the past. The Netflix short film reminds us how fragile life is and how we shouldn’t take any aspect of it for granted. I believe taking things for granted is the biggest vice of human beings; where we become accustomed to everything very quickly, and especially when it comes to the existence of certain people in our lives, we just forget how privileged we are to spend time with them. It is only after they depart that we come to the realization that we are all mortals and the time we have on our hands is very short. We all have problems; we all have work to do; we all are dealing with our own issues, facing our own demons, and struggling to cope with life, but in the process, we stop appreciating what we have. We start taking everything for granted because, as soon as we get what we desire, it is in our genes to want something more. So, let’s find out what happened with our protagonist, what kind of tragedy occurred with him, and why he was not able to confront his past.

Spoiler Alert

What Happened With Dayo?

Dayo was a busy man, and we saw him taking work calls, even during his break when he had come to spend some time with his daughter. His daughter, Laura, had a performance at her school that very day, but Dayo, as usual, didn’t have time to attend it. His wife had requested that he take out some time for Laura, as she really wanted her father to be there when she went on stage. Dayo’s wife didn’t have any hope that he would be able to make it, but still, she asked him, hoping that some miracle would happen and he would be able to postpone his meetings for a couple of hours. Dayo had almost decided not to attend the performance when a bicycle almost hit Laura, and for a moment, Dayo’s heartbeat got fast. He stood as if he was in some deep thought, and that’s when something snapped inside him, and he decided to attend his daughter’s performance. He called James, his colleague, and told him to postpone everything as he was not going to be back soon. Dayo, at that moment, had realized that it was a close shave and that the bicycle could have actually hit Laura. He was reminded of how much he treasured her little daughter and how, because of work, he had not been able to spend any time with her.

People these days talk about work-life balance, and Dayo, at some point in time, would have thought about it, but we think that this conversation should have never existed in the first place. We work to live, not the other way around. I agree that work gives purpose to a lot of people, but in today’s world, we fail to recognize that our lives consist of many other things that are probably more important than the work we do. Often, we fail to recognize the importance of family and friends and no matter how much we progress in life and how much we ace at work, if we do not have anyone to share that happiness with, then all the success and all the victories will amount to nothing. Dayo had probably understood that, and that’s when he decided to prioritize his family over his work life. He met his wife, who was surprised to know that he was going to come with her. Dayo got a call from James when, out of nowhere, a psychopath arrived with a blood-stained knife, and he stood in front of Laura and her mother. Dayo was on a call when he saw the killer approaching towards his wife and child. He shouted at the top of his lungs for him to stop. But the killer didn’t stop, and he stabbed Laura and pushed her down from the bridge. Dayo’s wife, in a state of shock, also jumped from there, and Dayo stood there, seeing his entire life shatter in front of his own eyes.

Was Dayo Able To Confront His Past?

A grief-stricken Dayo constantly ran from facing his past, but the pain never went away, and in fact, it kept getting worse with every passing day. He started driving a cab, and often, he heard the conversations his passengers had. He empathized with a few, and to some, he just wanted to tell that time was not unlimited and they should express their love or do whatever they wanted to now. At times, he saw people having the same ideologies as he did in the past, and every time, he realized how foolish he was to think like that. One time, a couple hired the cab, who had a daughter who reminded Dayo of his little girl, Laura. The couple argued throughout the journey while the little kid was sitting in between, traumatized.

Dayo wanted to hug the little girl and tell her that it wasn’t her fault that her parents were behaving in this manner, but obviously, he couldn’t. When the couple reached their destination, they went to the door of their house and once again started fighting. Their daughter, Amy, did not come down from the cab for the longest time. It felt like she didn’t want to go to her parents, as she didn’t like it when they fought. Amy finally stepped out of the car, and she was leaving when something snapped inside her. She turned and hugged Dayo unexpectedly, and even her parents were shocked at what she was doing. That hug, that warmth, and that assurance were all that Dayo needed, and after that, the floodgates of his inner core opened and tears rolled from his eyes.

During The After‘s ending, the man completely broke down, probably for the first time, he cried his heart out. He embraced reality, stopped running from his past, and realized that he would have to eventually move on and live his life because that is what his wife and daughter would have wanted. But we do know that it is easier said than done, and Dayo would still feel that void probably throughout his life. We hope that Dayo gets the courage to face his reality and somehow manages to find happiness and some purpose in life.

Directed by Jed Shepherd, the Netflix short film Flashback leaves you feeling a bit nostalgic and sentimental. It delves into that notion by which each and every individual has been fascinated at some point in time, i.e., what if you could go back in time and change your past? A lot of filmmakers over the years have tried to make films around a similar topic, but it just doesn’t get old. It is that facet of our mortal lives that will never fail to intrigue us, probably because of its impracticability (as of now) and knowing that it would remain the biggest “what if” of our lives. Just thinking about the past gives rise to so many feelings inside us, some of which just cannot be described in words. I often say that thinking about the past and reminiscing about the good old days is like the smell of mud after the first rain, and no matter how many times you have smelled it, you just can’t get enough of it. Flashback, in a limited amount of time, throws a concept at us, and then imagines how it would be if it came true in real life. The character of Jess, played by Jemma Moore, finds herself in a difficult situation, and she realizes that if she has to save herself and her partner, then she will have to implement what she has been teaching all this time in her yoga classes. So, let’s find out what happens with Jess and if she is successful in her experiment.

Spoiler Alert

What Happened With Jess And Scott?

Jess was just about to call it a night when she heard a thud and felt like something had fallen in the living room. She asked her partner, Scott, who at that moment was about to propose to her for marriage, to go and check if someone was at the door. Scott had kept a ring in his drawer, and he felt that it was about time to express to Jess that he wanted to spend his entire lifetime with her. Seeing them both, it looked like they adored each other, and the best thing was that apart from being lovers, they were best friends, too. Scott jokingly told Jess to avenge his death if he didn’t come back after checking what that sound was. At that moment, Jess had no clue that she would actually have to do something like that. Jess heard a commotion, and she went out to find that Scott had been killed by someone who had broken into their house, probably with the intention of stealing. That thief got scared, and he shot Jess, too, and then escaped from the house. Jess didn’t know what she should do, and in that moment of panic where she was about to die in a matter of seconds, she remembered something that she used to teach her students in the yoga class.

Was Jess Able To Change Her Past?

Jess taught her students how to have control over their breathing. She told them that, through it, they had better control over their lives. Jess knew that when one person was just about to die; his entire life flashed in front of his own eyes, and she believed that if an individual had better control over their breathing, they could live any moment from their lives all over again and alter the course of events. When Jess was about to die, she told herself to breathe in a controlled manner, and she was able to transport herself to a day in her life from the year 2008. It was Jess’ birthday on that day, and she had taken all her friends to a gaming arcade. She found Scott and told him everything that would happen to them approximately 15 years from then. Scott didn’t understand what she was rambling about, and he didn’t know why she was acting so strange all of a sudden. Jess made Scott promise not to be in a relationship with her at any cost, as she believed that if he was not with her, he would be alive. Scott did promise her, after which Jess was taken by Mr. Bones. Jess came back to her senses in 2022, and she realized that she had been able to change her past successfully and that now Soctt was not with her but married to her friend, whom we had seen chatting with Jess at the beginning of Flashback. Jess felt a pang in her heart when she saw Scott with another woman, but she knew that now she would have to accept this reality and be grateful for the fact that they were still alive.

What Did Mr. Bones Personify?

Jess often saw this vague figure waiting for her in her dream, which she knew was Dr. Bones. When Jess was about to die, we came to the realization that Dr. Bones symbolized time. There was a digital clock installed on its front, and that probably was a reminder that the most precious resource in the world is time for all those who felt that they had all the time in this world. The director at the end of Flashback wants to tell us that no matter what we do, there will be some or another regret that we will end up having. So, instead of mulling over what’s lost, we should try to make the most of what we have. In Jess’s case, she was able to deceive death and alter the events of the past, but that meant that she would have to spend her life without that one person who understood her the most and whom she loved madly.

Flashback ends on a positive note, where our protagonist understands the value of time and a resolve not to cry over spilled milk. She decides to be in charge of her life and consciously tries to find happiness no matter what the situation is. She had understood that life was fragile, and wasting any moment grieving about things that were not in one’s hands was a sheer waste of time.

Roald Dahl’s story coming together with Wes Anderson’s style in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is a treat for anybody familiar with either of the artists. Roald Dahl’s books were mostly illustrated by Sir Quentin Saxby Blake, and those who have read them know why this was such an absolutely perfect combination. The way the writer imagined the characters through his words is exactly how they were brought to life by the illustrator, and that is part of the reason why the books are as memorable as they are. This means that we once again find ourselves in a situation where our possessiveness for the stories we like is tested by a screen adaptation. Wes Anderson was probably the best fit for a modern adaptation of Roald Dahl’s books, but we couldn’t get rid of our apprehension about whether he could capture the actual eccentricity of Roald Dahl’s visual imagination. This was not because we doubted the director but because we couldn’t accept a compromise with Roald Dahl, especially since we had already seen visuals of what the writer thought through his talented illustrator. Thankfully, we were left satisfied and smiling by the end of this 40-minute short film.

It really makes us think of the film adaptations of Roald Dahl’s books over the years and what the writer would think of them. It is a famous story that the first time one of his books, The Witches, was made into a film, Roald Dahl told everyone that they should not watch it because the ending was different. People who have read the book know that the story could use an alternative ending, but we don’t find it in ourselves to question the motive of a writer for the way he chooses to shape his story. What we mean is that Roald Dahl was possessive about his work, and we don’t doubt that he would wholeheartedly agree with Wes Anderson’s adaptation of it because of how true to style it is for both of them. This certainly beats the recent adaptation of The Witches, where Anne Hathaway might have been admirable as the Grand High Witch, but we know Roald Dahl would disagree.

We cannot even begin to imagine how furious the author would be if he sees Timothe Chalamet attempting to expand his Chocolate Factory universe with the prequel titled Wonka. Why not go with the Chocolate Factory sequel, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, which is one of the author’s works and actually gives us a bit of Willy Wonka’s backstory? While we dread watching Hugh Grant be an oompa loompa, Benedict Cumberbatch as Henry Sugar has given us life. Since Roald Dahl describes Henry Sugar as ‘not very handsome,’ we suppose someone in the casting department ignored that bit and let their fondness for the actor take over and brought him on board. Nevertheless, we approve.

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is a simple tale of a man who fell in love with a story and dedicated his life to it by expanding on its possibilities. If you spend any time on social media platforms, you must have come across that quote about someone making a film or a novel—their personality. That is what Henry Sugar did in the story, and it just goes to show that the words of description might change, but human nature rarely does, and that is what makes the story so relevant to this day. It’s all about the insight.

As we watched Henry Sugar being introduced, we couldn’t help but compare him to Ebenezer Scrooge, the blueprint for a rich, old, and grumpy man who loves money more than anything but has a change of heart after seeing a bit more of the world. Both Henry Sugar and Ebenezer Scrooge change themselves due to intense introspection because of some factors. But as enduring as The Christmas Carol is, we like Henry’s journey more because it sounds more believable. Ebenezar Scrooge changed himself because he wanted love and validation. His transformation was because he wanted something in exchange, whereas Henry Sugar expected nothing in return for his efforts, not even love or company. He did everything he did simply because it was the right thing. Roald Dahl was ahead of his time in showing how selflessness and not expecting love in return for decency and goodness can only come from a higher realm of consciousness. In fact, knowing a bit about the writer, we wouldn’t be surprised if The Wonderful Life of Henry Sugar was written as a result of some secret irritation with The Christmas Carol. It makes us think about what a collaboration between Roald Dahl and Bell Hooks would have been like had the former been more of a feminist in his ideals.

Lonely men or children are a recurring theme in most of Roald Dahl’s books. Be it The Witches, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The BFG or our favorite, Matilda, Roald Dahl likes to explore the prowess of the lonely mind. We suppose his childhood had a lot to do with it, especially his time at St. Peter and then at Repton. That is covered extensively in his autobiography (not “Going Solo”). We don’t remember the name of the book, but it was illustrated by Quentin Blake. If you can, do give it a read, and you will know what sets Roald Dahl apart from the rest of the world. On a side note, the man is a Virgo, and they are known for being as stubborn as they come while managing to lead some of the most colorful lives there are.

Finally, as we watched The Wonderful Life of Henry Sugar, we wondered whether this could have just been a podcast. But Wes Anderson’s colorful and imaginative frames are unmissable, and they make it worth seeing with your eyes (get the pun?). Netflix seems to be taking a cue from the world outside by wanting to invest in more short-form content. We are not complaining if the quality of it is as good as The Wonderful Life of Henry Sugar.

“School Tales: The Series” is an anthology consisting of eight short films inspired by comic stories. The common ground for all the horror tales is that they unfold within the school premises. The series brings together the works of several Thai directors, each with a unique story. Not every episode is worth a watch, but some leave a mark by bringing to the table the gore and mutilation that can be expected from a Thai horror film.

Spoilers Ahead

‘7 AM’ Recap And Ending

According to a school tale, every day on the board of room 6/4, the name of a book is written, and those students who fail to bring the book within eight am are murdered by the spirit of the teacher. Q, a student who was bullied by his classmates, was given the responsibility to come to school at 7 a.m. and take a picture of the name of the book that was mentioned on the board. The rest of the students would take note of it and bring the textbook to survive another day. Therefore, since Q lived near the school, he was forced to take responsibility. Also because he was an easy target for the rest of the class. A student, Vaan, who lived far away from the school, demanded Q reach school at 6.30 am so that he could have access to the name of the textbook at the right time. Q was tired of the demands made by his classmates; he was doing them a favor by coming to school early, but now they wanted more from him. The interesting aspect of the myth is that the one who is killed is erased from the memories of the rest, which is why no one was sure if the story was even true, but they did not wish to take any chances. Q was apprehensive about reaching early, believing that the ghost of the teacher might be lingering in the classroom at that hour. He once thought of not informing the class group after reaching school, but he could not ignore Tan’s request. Tan was sympathetic to Q’s situation and often helped him when his classmates pressured him. The morning he reached early, he could feel the spirit of the teacher around him, and he fainted after seeing her. He woke up in the infirmary with Tan by his side. The two reached their classroom to learn that Auan had forgotten to bring his book. Vann had stolen Auan’s book, but by the time they had all figured out the truth, it was too late. Their world paused at 8 a.m., and Auan was hunted down by the ghost. One day, Q heard Tan explain to her classmates why she supported him. She explained that she was using him just like the rest of them to make sure that he helped them every morning. The next day, Q was determined to end the lives of his classmates. He sends them an old picture of the board. When the clock struck 8 a.m., every student was hunted down by the ghosts of the teacher and the students she had murdered. Not and Tan were punished by Wittaya, a classmate of theirs whose book they stole, as a result of which he was murdered. They hated him and wanted to be sure if the curse of the classroom was real. Only Q survived. We see glimpses of the classroom where Q is the sole remaining student. The teacher does not remember having other students, and Q was finally free from his duty and his bullies. The curse started the day a teacher murdered all her students and then killed herself. It was her ghost that tormented students even now, but the reason for the mass murder was never known.

‘Vengeful Spell’ Recap And Ending

According to a school myth, a senior had cursed death upon her entire class before she killed herself. The secret to the success of the curse was hidden inside the box of curses, which continues to exist inside the school. Soon we notice a schoolgirl frantically searching for help. She live-streamed out of desperation as she imagined spirits all around her. Out of fear, she jumped from the window of her school building and died. The next morning, her body was recovered, and everyone at school discussed Mint’s mysterious death. Pleng removed her socks and wiped off Mint’s name, indicating that she had some role to play in the mystery. Just like the rest of the school, she too expressed sorrow at Mint’s sudden demise. Though later, we get to know that Mint’s current boyfriend was Pleg’s ex-boyfriend, and she could not forgive Mint for destroying her relationship. Pleng admired Boy now. The two were working on a horror film production. But she noticed that Jennie would always interrupt her discussion with Mr. Boy. One day, Jennie confronted her, jokingly stating that she and Boy had been together for a long time now. Pleng was enraged; just when she had fallen in love with another man, there was someone else waiting to ruin it for her. She went inside the storeroom and got the box of curses. According to the box, one had to write down the name of the person they wished to die upon their foot and then chant a ground-stomping spell. Pleng had murdered Mint, and now she was about to end Jennie’s life the same way. She wrote down her name and chanted the spell. Jennie immediately heard the spirits around her. Her ears started to ring, and she could not control them. Meanwhile, Boy went inside the storeroom to find Pleng. He found it strange that Pleng found comfort in a place that was known to be haunted. Pleng asked him about Jennie, to which he replied that she was his sister. She was surprised to learn the truth. Boy later accompanied her outside and went to drop her off at her place. She invited him inside, and the two shared a moment of intimacy during which Boy noticed “Jennie” written on Pleng’s foot. He asked her to explain herself, and at that moment, he received a call from Jennie, who was in tears, crying for help. He ran to find his sister. Meanwhile, Pleng attempted to erase her name and save her life, but it did not come off. The noise became unbearable, and Jennie tore her ears off. The spirits around her encouraged her to take her life, and so she did. By the time Boy entered the apartment, it was too late. Pleng cried herself to sleep, but she was woken up by the spirits. Even though she had erased the name off her foot before going to sleep, it appeared again. She was dragged off from her bed by the ghosts, and she experienced terrible pain in her foot. Her foot started to swell. She bandaged it and walked to school, knowing that the only way to stop this was by burning the box. The swelling in her foot took the shape of a face, and the face grew larger in size with time. With her penknife, she sliced off the head from the foot and dragged herself to the storeroom. She searched for the box, but she could not find it. She saw Jennie’s spirit there. The spirit crawled and pushed her hand into Pleng’s leg. Pleng got hold of a chainsaw and chopped off her leg. The next morning, when staff entered the school, she noticed the blood leading to the storeroom. She saw Pleng, with her chopped leg, sitting dead in the room. Boy shared sorrow upon Pleng’s death on social media as he erased her name from under his feet. He had stolen the box from the storeroom the day he went inside to find Pleng. The spirits of the box called to him, and he found it there. The cycle of curses ended with the one who started it in the first place.

‘Beautiful’ Recap And Ending

Dao was the prettiest girl in school, and every student wanted to take pictures with her. Aim wanted to be admired the way Dao was, and she was ready to try whatever she could lay her hands on to become beautiful. She searched for several products and remedies, but nothing could guarantee the overnight beauty that she hoped for. She went through the internet all night, desperate to search for the right product, and at one point, she typed that she would do anything to become beautiful. The light in her apartment started to flicker, and the screen started to act up. She was directed to a page that guaranteed overnight beauty, and they offered to waive off their condition if they failed to deliver. She agreed to the terms and conditions without reading them, even though at the bottom it stated that whatever would happen that night should remain a secret from the world. A box was left at the door, and she grabbed the potion after opening it. She drank the content, and, to her surprise, she had become extraordinarily beautiful. She was admired by everyone at school. Her follower count was more than that of Dao’s. While everyone wanted to know about the secret product, Aim maintained her silence. Dao was triggered by the competition; she could not accept that someone else was receiving the same attention and offer that she once enjoyed alone. She started to follow Aim to find her secret. She noticed that Aim would often carry dead cats and frogs home, and to know the truth; she even got herself the apartment right next to Aim. She could hear strange noises at night. She knew that it had to do with black magic, but Dao was desperate to do anything that Aim was doing to become even more beautiful. After gathering enough evidence against Aim, she approached her, threatening to destroy her life by submitting the videos in which she was consuming a raw frog to the modeling agency. Aim knew she was in trouble and that Dao would not let her live in peace. She warned Dao that what she was so interested in knowing was not truly worth it. To become this beautiful, she chose a path that made her wonder if the beauty she attained was even worth it. But nothing could stop Dao. She was frantically searching for the product and couldn’t care less about Aim’s warnings. At Aim’s apartment, Dao was greeted with the stench of rotten meat. She knew that Aim was consuming blood for beauty, but she also believed that if Aim could do it, so could she. As Dao was busy consuming the potion she found in her wardrobe, Aim was going through a physical change. She bit down on the table as blood started to drip from her teeth, and her nails scratched the table as she experienced excruciating pain. Her body and head were separated, and her decapitated body was left on the floor. Dao, after consuming the potion and admiring herself in the mirror, searches for Aim. She then notices the headless body. Aim’s head was floating, and her body was that of a spirit. The potion that Dao had drunk was the saliva of a flesh-eating spirit named Krasue. She did not consume raw flesh but instead preferred consuming them after they were rotten. The spirit told Dao that from now on, she would understand what the spirit wanted to consume through smell. Dao could smell a baby from the apartment; it was that of the pregnant landlady. As the woman knocked on the door, she was greeted inside, to be consumed.

‘The Book Of Corpse’ Recap And Ending

The Book of Corpse was a book in which if one wrote down their death wish, it would come true, but at what cost? Saiparn was a transferred student who spoke up against the bullies who harassed a student to share her answer sheet with them. After complaining to the principal, she immediately became a target for the bullies. Meanwhile, the newspapers published a story about a school teacher who had entered the school library but was nowhere to be found afterward. Saiparn noticed the bullies searching for her, and she hid in the library. Nonetheless, they managed to grab hold of her, but the librarian saved her from torture. To help her, she assisted the librarian, Narin, in arranging the books at the library. She smelt a rotten stench from the room and noticed a leak in the ceiling. She also discovered “The Book of Corpses” there. It was almost as if the book was searching for her. She was later told about the book by Narin. She said that once, a schoolgirl named Ploypoom was bullied by her classmates and was locked inside the washroom right above the library. She endured the torture for three months since no one was aware that she was locked there. She eventually killed herself, but before doing so, she wrote about her pain and suffering in a book. Saiparn went to the upstairs washroom, but she was greeted by her bullies, and they locked her inside. She could see and hear Ploypoom in the room, and as she screamed and shouted for help, Narin came and unlocked the door.

Saiparn brought to her room the book of Corpses and read about Ploypoom’s misery. She was transported to her world, and she could see her rot after months of torture. In the book, she described how unfortunate her life was to have friends as evil as the one she had encountered in her life. She believed it was better to have no friends than ones like them. She drew an image describing how she wanted her friends to kill each other. The next day, Saiparn asked Narin what had happened to Ploypoom’s friends after her death. The librarian stated that her friends were taken into police custody for interrogation and, in the cell, they killed each other the way Ploypoom wanted them to die. After knowing how effective the writing in the book was, Saiparn chose to write her story as well. She wrote half of it when her bullies caught hold of her and the book and joked about what she had written. They tortured Saiparn and chopped off her hair. After the humiliation, Saiparn wrote down her wish. Kaew, her bully, was tortured by the spirits, and she slashed open her throat and died. She remembered that she had wished for a painful death for her bullies, and that was what she went through. Saiparn ran to the library to stop her wish from coming true, and when she opened the book, she noticed that librarian Narin had also written down her wish to end the life of a man who she had once admired. The man forced himself on her, and she decided to seek revenge. The ceiling of the library broke open, and a body fell from above. It was the teacher whom the newspapers wrote about. Saiparn was retching after what she had just witnessed. She noticed Narin pushing a syringe filled with Potassium Cyanide into her body. She explained that once one wrote down their wish in the book, they had to trade their lives for it. She gave her life to the spirits for revenge, and now Saiparn, too, had to give her soul to them to get rid of her bullies. Saiparn was petrified by the turn of events. She did not know that one had to give their soul to write the wishes in the book. She watched Narin’s body transform as several heads started to erupt from her body to form the demonic figure thirsty for her soul. Her soul was sucked through her mouth by the figure, and Saiparn found friends in the lonely spirits who would always be by her side. The Book of Corpses continued to entice those who suffered to write their wishes and join them in body and spirit.

‘Headless Teacher’ Recap And Ending

Teacher Waiwan was a unique figure at school. She was loving but, at the same time, strict. She was known for collecting her debts from people no matter what. She reminded the stall owner, Aunt Noy, at the cafeteria to pay back her dues. As they were bickering about it, Teacher Nop stopped by to remind Waiwan that it was better to conduct such business where students would not be present. Teacher Waiwan adored Nop and agreed with his remark in an instant. As she walked away, she noticed that students had drawn caricatures of her and had pasted them on the wall. She caught hold of the two students and caned them. Ping and Tim sat down and planned how they would seek revenge from Waiwan for the punishment. They decided to enter her room at midnight and scare her with their masks on. But what happened next was hilarious. As they waited to scare Waiwan, they instead freaked out when they noticed their teacher’s headless body. They ran as fast as they could. Meanwhile, the next morning, a student found Waiwan’s body in the greenhouse, but her head was nowhere to be found. Tim and Ping realized that the body they saw last night was that of Waiwan’s ghost. The only problem was that Tim left his phone in her room, and he needed to enter again to get it back.

They entered with a Buddhist novice to keep away the spirit. But they soon came across Waiwan’s decapitated body. The novice ran away, locking the two friends inside the room. They noticed that their teacher wanted to communicate with them. She did not wish for them to be scared, but instead wanted them to find her head. She returned Tim’s phone and asked the students to promise to help her find her head. The students promised to help, and they left with their phones. Even though they initially thought they would not help Teacher Waiwan, they gradually started to feel bad for her. She was an adorable teacher who even wrote appreciative remarks below the caricatures. They asked Waiwan how she felt after her death. She expressed that she felt cold. They decided to use this clue to find her head. They thought that it must be Aunt Noy who killed her because she owed her money. But after they searched through her refrigerator, they realized that she was not the killer. Then they doubted the security man and thought that he might be crazy enough to kill her. Tim heard noises while he was investigating the guarded area, so he hid inside the cold storage, and it was there that he saw Waiwan’s head. Teacher Nop was searching the area when he heard Tim gasp. He carried with him a knife and opened the box; he was about to strike Tim with his knife when Waiwan’s head bit into his hand. He cried out in pain, and Tim escaped from the box. Waiwan exclaimed that he was the one who had murdered her, and she demanded the reason for it. Teacher Nop proudly screamed that he was the killer and he was ready to kill again. Tim and Ping managed to hit Teacher Nop’s head with Waiwan’s head. As he lost consciousness, he was tied to a chair while Waiwan joined her head back to her body. When asked why he murdered her, Waiwan remembered the reason. That night, she was walking past the greenhouse when she heard noises. She started to record and saw that Teacher Nop was forcing himself on a student, and she immediately stopped him. She threatened to narrate the entire incident to the principal and police, after which the teacher attacked her with a knife. He murdered her, and in an accidental chop of the ax, her head got separated from her body. In the end, Ping and Tim apologize to Teacher Waiwan for making fun of her when she was alive. She forgave them for it, and they all celebrated their success together.

‘Lunch’ Recap And Ending

Aunt Jong’s pork bone soup gained immense popularity in the school cafeteria. While her stall had been a part of the school cafeteria for a long time now, her food had never tasted this good. A student named Kong, who went by the name Clicker/the Hardcore Truth Seeker online, decided to find the truth about the soup. As soon as she closed her stall and left, Kong sneaked inside and tried to expose the secret ingredient at the bottom of the pot to his live online audience. Kong noticed Aunt Jong standing behind him, making him nervous, but he continued with his mission to find the truth. Aunty tried to stop him, and during their scuffle, the pot fell over, and the contents were spilled. Bones were lying on the ground, and Kong was quick to remark that they were the skulls of cats and dogs. He accused Aunty of feeding students dogmeat, and his video became an instant sensation.

When Kong became a savior, everyone around him thanked him for exposing the truth. Kong was the cool kid in school who got the name Clicker tattooed on the nape of his neck. Meanwhile, hate started to pour in for Aunt Jong, and students refused to eat from her stall. As Kong gloated over his success, he started to notice a black figure around him. The figure was dressed in black; his head was covered with a hood. He pulled a knife out of the darkness and attacked Kong. Kong ran for his life; he was terrified of what was unfolding. He complained about the figure, but nobody around him could see it. He became a joke for his irrational behavior. He went ahead and accused Aunt Jong of sending someone to stalk Kong. He threatened her and recorded the event for his live audience. He not only harassed her but also called her son’s names for being a drug addict. Aunt Jong felt humiliated. She held onto the picture she had of her son and started to weep. But this time, the other stall owners had enough. They stopped Kong from entering her room. They confirmed that she used to cook the food alone, and her son was not involved in it. Kong entered even after being stopped. He was determined to find the truth about Jong and her son. After entering, he did not notice anything unusual. The other stall owner informed him that she had lost her son a month back and had been mourning his death ever since. He showed them the urn and added that her son was decapitated and she had to bury him without his head. The pain she must have experienced from being unable to find the head was unexplainable, and Kong was asked to not make it worse. He was pushed out of the room, and his schoolmates started to accuse him of being a clout chaser and ruining the life of an elderly woman. He was asked to apologize, but he refused to do so, stating that she was the one at fault. A teacher, Mr. Pob, entered the cafeteria and informed everyone that what Kong had claimed to be a dog’s head was actually that of a chicken. He got it tested at the university laboratory, and they concluded that the bones belonged to a chicken. Kong felt embarrassed. He continued to accuse Aunt Jong, but he had no proof. His peers started to show sympathy for Aunt Jong. Kong was sent a letter asking him to apologize to Aunt Jong at the assembly the next day, and his parents were asked to meet his teachers.

Kong felt angry at the turn of events. Within a day, he turned from a hero to a villain. When he was alone, he recorded an apology for Aunt Jong, realizing the mistake he had made, but just then, he noticed a cat passing by. His evil interest dominated his good side, and he killed it to accuse Aunt Jong of using cat meat in the soup the next day. He carried the dead cat inside her kitchen when she went away to buy meat. But what he saw instead was also strange. The picture of her son was set on the table, he was offered meat, and a skull of a goat was placed in front of him. It looked like a setup for black magic, but there was not enough proof to conclude it. Kong thought of recording it as well, but his phone started to act up. He turned around, and it was the same black figure who had attempted to kill him. Kong realized it was her son and asked him to show his face. As soon as he removed the hood, black dust rose from his decapitated body. Kong ran for his life and asked his teacher to help him. He tried to explain everything he saw, but when they asked him why he was present in Jong’s kitchen, he had no answer. He was asked to stay away from trouble and Aunt Jong.

Kong went again to the kitchen. This time he was determined to check what the object that was wrapped in cloth was. He opened it, and to his dismay, it was a human skull. He realized it was the head of Jong’s son. He turned around, and there was the figure again. He ran away from it. When Aunt Jong entered the room, she asked the figure to stop scaring the child, and the figure disappeared. Kong apologized to her, realizing that the truth was way darker than he thought. He promised to not spill her truth to the public, and he asked her to help him leave. But Aunt Jong had enough. She said that she had planned to leave the place by the end of the month, but Kong disrupted her plan. His curiosity did not just ruin her plan, but also his life. She asked him about the dead cat, and Kong apologized for his mistake. She pulled a sharp knife out and slashed his stomach. She pushed the knife into his stomach over and over again, expressing her rage. She cooked the soup with the head of her son, and that was the secret ingredient that made the soup extraordinary. She believed in black magic and devil worship and used the method to make her stall a success. The soup was her way of keeping her son alive, and perhaps the black shadow was also a result of her offerings. But Kong had destroyed her life, and she had no other choice but to kill him. The next day, students were served Kong’s meat. They initially enjoyed the taste, but soon his friend noticed a meat slice with “Clicker” written on it. Chaos was unleashed, and the students ran all over the cafeteria while Aunt Jong looked at it with a smirk on her face.

‘Curse’ Recap And Ending

Korn was the school topper, but he was bullied by his classmates and even his juniors. His classmates, Aekachai, Burin, and Mintra, gave him two options: either he could show his paper to them during the exam, or they would kill him. Korn tried to explain how impossible it would be for him to share his answers with them since they were sitting away from each other, but the three of them did not care for his logic. On the day of the exam, they grabbed hold of Korn and announced that they had found another way to pass the exam, but they needed his help. They took him to the infirmary of the old school building. It was believed that the place was cursed and that a nurse ghost lived there. If anyone wanted their wishes to come true, all they had to do was sit in a wheelchair, face their back to the door, and mention their wish. They tied Korn to the wheelchair and asked him to wish for them to pass the exam, or they would kill him. They left him in the haunted room and went to the exam center. Alone in the infirmary, Korn could hear the giggles of a woman. He noticed the shadow of the nurse passing behind the curtain. She freed him from the wheelchair and demanded he make his wish. He wished for Aekachai, Burin, and Mintra to die, and his wish was fulfilled. Burin was brutally murdered, and Aekachai noticed Korn run to the exam center. He asked Korn what he had wished for, to which Korn replied that he wished for their death. While the two wondered how they could save their lives, Korn laughed like a devil. No matter where they attempted to escape, the wheelchair followed them. They were greeted by the rotting nurse who tortured and murdered them. Korn was delighted by the outcome; he managed to get rid of his bullies. But he had forgotten that those three were not the only ones who made fun of him. Every other person he knew disliked him and took advantage of his weakness. After being bullied by another group, he went to the infirmary with a vengeance. He sat in the wheelchair and ordered the nurse to take care of 33 others who bothered him. The nurse was ready to oblige, but before she proceeded, she reminded him that he was yet to give her something in return for the three people she murdered. According to the deal, the person making a wish had to give a body part of theirs to the nurse for each success. Korn did not know this was part of the deal; he watched his hands and feet rot. The nurse reminded him that he had wished for 33 deaths, for which he had to give 33 parts of his body. She laughed hysterically while Korn cried in pain. With every murder, Korn’s body started to rot further. Ultimately, he was consumed completely by the ghost. The film ended with three girls entering the infirmary, wanting to confirm the myth that they had heard about the nurse and the wheelchair. As the girl wished, the nurse continued to laugh, knowing what she had in store for her.

‘A Walk In The School’ Recap And Ending

The moment you have a person denying the existence of ghosts in a horror film, you know that person will suffer. “A Walk In The School” is a film about Boyd, who does not believe in the existence of ghosts. He uses scientific discoveries to support his beliefs. He even goes on to state that the ones who claim to have seen ghosts are usually those suffering from mental illness. He takes it upon himself to debunk every school horror story, and he takes his friend, Tam, along with him. Tam is a shaky young fellow who is afraid of ghosts and does not believe in Boyd and his logic. The night they were supposed to go to their school to debunk the mysteries, Boyd dreamt of a coin toss and a strange black figure with red eyes appearing. He was woken up from his dream by a phone call from Tam. He drove to school while Tam waited for him within the school premise. Upon reaching the school, the lights started to flicker, and he noticed a shadow behind a door. Boyd was scared. He went ahead to check behind the door, and suddenly Tam appeared with a torch on his face. Boyd screamed, and Tam joked about his fear.

Nonetheless, the boys decide to start with their mission. Tam was asked to hold the torch while Boyd spoke to his friends and fans on the live feed. They first went to the dance room. As the story goes, there once was a dancer who wanted to play the role of Sita, but they were always chosen to play the role of Hanuman. The dancer was humiliated by the dance group for being ugly. Many asked them to wear a mask forever to hide their face. This infuriated the dancers, and they decided to swap the fake prop with a real trisula and stabbed the person playing Ravana on stage. The dancer later committed suicide by stabbing. It is said that their bullies could see the ghost dancer dancing with them during their performance, and they all fainted in the theater. Boyd debunked the story by suggesting that the dancer couldn’t have exchanged the prop for a real one because teachers and prop coordinators always check the props that are used. Also, the man who played Ravana did not die as a result of the stab, and he blamed the bullies’ vision of the ghost dancer as the result of mass hysteria. Even though Boyd explained his belief, Tam was not convinced. What was also strange was that Boyd’s phone started to act up with people sending him cryptic messages. His friends even called him twice during the live video, but he chose to ignore them.

Next, they went to the school gym, where a ghost existed. It is said that a national-level gymnastic competitor ran on the balancing beam and was injured by a pin left by her competitor purposefully. She fell on her head after the pin punctured her feet, and she died. It is believed that the ghost continued to run on the balancing beam even to this day. Boyd did not believe the story. He explained that the noise from the balancing beam was a product of humidity. He also rubbished the claim of the competitor placing a nail on the beam, stating that it is impossible since the gym is cleared by the coach or gymnasts before the practice session. Boyd bragged how they had not encountered a single ghost in the entire night, proving him right. Tam was still not convinced. He believed that just because the ghosts did not show themselves did not mean that they did not exist. Tam went on to suggest another story. He said that there exists a story of two best friends who tossed a coin and decided that the one who would win would be forced to do anything. This story disturbed Boyd. He asked Tam to stop discussing it since he had never heard of such a tale. Within a few minutes, the lights in the corridor were turned off, and a dancer waited for Boyd. He started to dance around him. Boyd initially thought it to be an elaborate prank by his friends, but he soon realized it was all real. He ran as fast as he could from the ghosts and then went into the gym to hide. They sneakily witnessed the gym ghost practicing her balancing beam act and falling on her neck after it. She followed Boyd and crept on his body, but he managed to run away from her with Tam. As they ran from the ghosts, they reached the top floor of the school building. Tam wanted to go upstairs, whereas Boyd wanted to go downstairs. Tam flipped a coin to decide, but Boyd tried to stop him in every possible way. Tam had won the toss, and he asked Boyd to go upstairs. Boyd was scared to go there since he knew that a black figure lived beyond the stairs. Tam went ahead and narrated the story of Boyd’s childhood when he forced his friend to climb the stairs since he lost the bet. His friend screamed for Boyd’s help after going to the other side, but Boyd chose to run away from it. He never saw his friend after that day, but this time he would be the one on the other side.

When Boyd’s phone started to ring, his friend informed him that Tam had died in an accident while he was on his way to school. Therefore, the Tam he was making the live videos with was Tam’s ghost. People saw him talking to a spirit in the video, and they tried to inform him of the truth from then on. Boyd watched Tam climb the stairs to the other side of the passage, and Boyd followed, refusing to give up on his friend as he did the first time. He was reunited with his childhood friend, and now the three of them lived together happily, even in spirit. We did not get to know the truth beyond the door; perhaps a figure who sucked the souls off the bodies of those who entered. Whatever the case, Boyd now believed that ghosts were real. He was one now.

Final Words

“School Tales: The Series” offers a lot more than the eerie existence of spirits. There is a certain uniqueness to the stories and the visual presentation of the supernatural that makes up for the craft. You can give it a watch if you enjoy the horror genre, especially gore. 

“School Tales: The Series” is a 2022 Horror Anthology series streaming on Netflix.

“The Martha Mitchell Effect” is a short documentary film by Netflix on the effect that a cabinet wife, Martha Mitchell, had on US politics in the early 1970s. Although telling an interesting tale of another cover-up amidst a presidency that is perhaps most remembered for cover-ups, ‘The Martha Mitchell Effect’ seems a bit too short without too much delving into the Watergate scandal. Instead, it focuses on the outspoken and frank nature of the woman, and the subsequent effect it has had on her life and those around her.

Who was Martha Mitchell?

Richard Nixon’s presidential election win in 1968 was immensely helped by his election campaign manager, John Mitchell. After Nixon took office at the White House in 1969, John left his old job as a lawyer to become the United States Attorney General under the leadership of President Nixon. Martha Mitchell was the wife of John, and she, too, had been a close part of the Nixon presidential campaign and now of the White House. As a cabinet wife, she soon started making public appearances doing social or charity work and then instantly became famous for her frank and revealing comments about social and political issues. Martha initially voiced only Republican opinions. In one instance, she told the press that those advocating violent revolution in the US (against the Vietnam War) should be kicked out of the country. Despite this, President Nixon and his close White House associates were all wary of Martha’s public reputation as a “big mouth.” She had also developed a habit of having a drink in the evening and then calling up journalists and politicians to discuss political gossip, and this soon placed her right at the forefront of media attention. Martha did not seem to mind that either, as she is seen playfully posing with a telephone in a public gathering, and her exceptional ability to stick out as a woman in a political scenario completely run by men was also laudable. Nixon’s dislike, and in many ways, fear, of Martha was not without cause either—in one instance, Martha was asked what she felt about the Vietnam War, and she replied, “It stinks.” Being a part of the Nixon administration, which was still waging war in Southeast Asia, Martha’s frankness and honesty were extremely out of place. She also admitted calling up the President sometimes and joking around with him, saying that the man could never tell when she was joking and when she was serious. The wife of a cabinet member having that sort of an effect on a man who admittedly disliked “loud women,” that too, the President of the country, was definitely something special.

What Then Turned Nixon And His Entire Administration Against Martha?

However, trouble started to brew when John Mitchell was appointed leader of a fund-raising organization for Nixon’s re-election campaign, called the Committee to Re-Elect the President, mockingly shortened as CREEP. Martha was naturally involved with it as well, despite Nixon’s being cautious of her, as was now evident from the President’s mention of her in the secret audiotapes of conversations that he recorded in his White House office. Martha’s first major point of dislike, as she said to journalists later, was that she had been forced to go to California with her husband for a fundraiser without her wanting to do so. On the night of June 17th, during this trip, five men were arrested at gunpoint for breaking into the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters in Washington’s Watergate complex and installing eavesdropping equipment in the offices. This break-in was very quickly linked to the Republican Party and directly to President Nixon’s re-election committee, as one of the perpetrators, James McCord, was also a consultant to the committee. Having received news of this arrest, John Mitchell immediately left California for Washington, but he left Martha behind, and he ordered her to be kept in the dark about the incident. However, Martha did get to know of the Watergate break-in and also McCord’s involvement in it (who had also been the security guard for her daughter), and she was quite furious about the whole thing as she had no idea of such a plan. She called up some politicians and press members and was talking to a journalist when her husband’s bodyguards came into the room and detained her, also ripping the phone connection apart. A doctor, on-call at the hotel, was instructed to inject Martha with sedatives and tranquilizers in order to calm her down and keep her in check. Realizing that she had been purposefully removed from Washington before the break-in so that she could not raise her voice against it, Martha now tried her best to let it be known to the public how she was being kept a prisoner in California.

With Martha now directly calling out the White House administration and talking about their “dirty tricks,” the Nixon team decided that it would be best to let John Mitchell out of the campaign director role, stating that his wife was sick. Soon, reports from the White House started coming out about the apparent mental and physical illness of Martha Mitchell, indirectly stating all her claims about the Watergate scandal as fake and delusional. John left the White House soon after, saying that he needed to take care of his sick wife. Martha’s stories and accounts of her being held captive seemed too fanciful even for opposition and Democratic supporters, and mostly spoof campaigns were run calling for Martha’s freedom as a joke. Overall, hardly anyone believed what Martha was now saying about her being held captive and about the Nixon government’s direct involvement in the Watergate scandal. While the matter settled down for the time being in 1972 as Nixon was re-elected President, the real meltdown began in 1973, when McCord told the court and the Senate committee that there was much more to be said about the incident. He claimed that John Mitchell had full knowledge and understanding of the plan and had also given approval for it. John was now a normal citizen living his life away from the White House or President Nixon, but his wife feared that all this revelation would bring slander against him. Claiming John to be totally innocent about the matter, Martha now started opening up to journalists and renowned press houses, saying that her husband was being merely framed by the President and his associates for the incident.

Friends close to Martha Mitchell at the time, stated that she did indeed believe that John was being framed in the matter and had actually no idea about the Watergate break-in. She now insisted that Richard Nixon should resign, having won the election unfairly, and also tried to convince John to leave the President’s side, as he would also be arrested along with Nixon. However, what followed was John leaving his wife and telling his friends that she was a sick and disturbed woman. The man had chosen to side with and protect the President rather than his wife, who was trying to protect him. But with political tension greatly growing against the Nixon administration, all the recorded audiotapes from the White House had to be given to the investigation committee, and this revealed that Nixon, John, and the entire team were not only aware of the Watergate incident from before, but John Mitchell himself had played a part in coming up with the narrative to feed the press that Martha was sick and that he should resign to take care of her. As a result of the investigative findings, John Mitchell was sentenced to thirty years in prison for conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and perjury. It is assumed that John had expected Nixon to pardon him and the other associates of the crime, but with the pressure of impeachment against Nixon himself, the President fled the scene, resigning from the presidency in 1974.

What Happened To Martha Afterwards?

After the entire Watergate Scandal was out in public with the direct involvement of Richard Nixon and his administration, the press and the country owed an apology to Martha Mitchell. Whatever the woman had been saying for so long turned out to be exactly true, and the press majorly picked up the story, with numerous radio, TV, and newspaper interviews conducted all over. Her estranged husband, John Mitchell, was now about to be imprisoned, and when asked about the matter, his reply was that this outcome was better than having to spend his life with Martha. A man’s ego perhaps finds it more pleasing to accept criminal charges than to accept that a woman’s suspicions were correct. However, Martha’s financial condition worsened in 1975, as she was fighting a court case for an alimony dispute and now had to work at cloth stores. Furthermore, she also suffered from a terminal malignant blood disease, and the woman cut off contact with most of her friends. She did apparently wish to be visited by John, but he refused to do so.

In May of 1976, Martha Mitchell passed away from the disease, and many of her supporters gathered to pay respect at her funeral. John Mitchell was also present, as he was still Martha’s legal husband. Many more admirers had sent in flowers, and one anonymous donor had sent a large bouquet with the flowers arranged to read: “Martha was Right.” This itself became the aptest statement for Martha and the situation she had to face. In 1988, a Harvard psychologist named Brendan Maher coined the term “The Martha Mitchell Effect,” which describes a situation where a person’s beliefs and suspicions are initially labeled as delusional, but they ultimately turn out to be true.

“The Martha Mitchell Effect” is a 2022 Documentary short film streaming on Netflix.

Directed by Ian Derry, “Hold Your Breath: The Ice Dive” is an inspiring documentary short film about the grit of renowned Finnish free-diver and ice diver, Johanna Nordblad, as she attempts to break the existing world record of traveling the most distance under freezing water in a single breath. The comparatively short film presents a forty-minute long insight into Johanna’s passion as an ice diver, her beautiful relationship with her sister Elina, and how she gets past adversities in life.

What Is ‘Hold Your Breath: The Ice Dive’ Documentary About?

At the time the documentary begins, Johanna Nordblad already holds the world record for the most distance traveled under freezing-cold water in a single dive and breath in the women’s category, having traveled 50 meters. Now in her hometown of Heinola, Finland, Johanna trains with the constant support of her sister, Elina Manninen, to try and beat the world record of 80 meters currently held by a male diver. Through conversations with Elina, Johanna’s firm and strong belief in herself and in women, in general, is established, as Johanna always goes by her belief that “girls can do anything men can do.” The athlete has forever been adventurous and very daring from her very childhood, and her interests have always included kayaking, free diving, motorbiking, and downhill dirt-biking. Johanna’s obsession with ice diving, in fact, was not always there; rather, she had developed it in a twisted manner from her other activities. Always pushing her own limits beyond known bounds, Johanna had met with a dreadful accident while downhill biking. The accident broke her leg terribly, which then became gangrenous, and the treatment of which left her with unbearable nerve pain. After three years of living with such pain, she started cold treatment at the suggestion of her doctor, in which her broken leg was to be immersed in freezing water. After gradually getting used to the intensity of such cold water, Johanna started dipping her other leg in too, and then finally her whole body in, as she slowly started enjoying the prospect of ice diving.

How Does Johanna Prepare For Her Record, And Get Over Barriers In Doing So?

Johanna admits that the biggest part of her preparation is to prepare herself mentally rather than reach a certain level of physical fitness. The key, she says, is to keep one’s mind and body calm under such treacherously cold temperatures, which then allows the body’s muscles to stay relaxed and carry out the entire ordeal. She admits that if she panics in the cold, then it only goes downhill from there as her body panics too, and she gives up much before her usual potential. Elina dives around with Johanna, too, during her practice sessions, and the sister photographs the athlete underwater, as she believes both of them to be artists. They both have a normal and usual life too, with their own families and professions. The documentary crew meets with Johanna’s family, and talks with her son, Kasper, who admits that he loves his mother for the way she is, and would rather have her to look up to than any other mother. The fear of not being able to carry out her goal and something terrible happening in the process remains in the back of all their minds, but the Nordblads do not seem to be ones to focus much on the negatives. Elina does not keep herself from negative thoughts as easily, though, as, at one point, she breaks down in response to the documentary crew’s question of whether she feels Johanna should partake in something so dangerous. Elina replies, emotionally, that it is ultimately what her sister wants to do, and it is her responsibility to support the athlete, despite the dangerous challenges involved.

Johanna’s preparations to break the 80-meter world record do not go too well, as she faces multiple challenges that are out of her control. Around February of 2020, a month before her official attempt, Johanna and Elina realized that there was much too less ice in the lake they wanted to attempt the dive in, measuring about just 10 cm in thickness, as opposed to the 30 cm mark required to participate in ice diving. An overall warmer winter and the absence of freezing cold temperatures that are usual in the country force the diver to move up north into the country and try her dive at a picturesque and extensive frozen lake at the Hossa National Park. The two sisters drive up to the place to start getting more used to the unfamiliar surroundings, and it is now revealed that Johanna has a physical challenge going on inside her own body as well. For some time now, Johanna has been suffering from a chest infection of some sort, and is advised by her doctor to consult a specialist, who would then say whether she should attempt the dive or not. But, before they could find a solution to this problem, a bigger problem crashed upon the entire world—the COVID 19 virus and the following pandemic. This caused all sports activities to be canceled officially, and thus put an end to the pursuit of Johanna’s goal, at least for the time being.

The athlete makes a return the next year, much more determined and with a perspective that she claims to be more global and having more depth to it. Around March of 2021, Johanna again drives up north to the lake at Hossa, this time with a big crew including photographers and safety personnel, as she is very close to making her attempt to dive even deeper this time. By now, the previous world record has been broken—with a woman diver having completed 70 meters, and an unofficial dive having been of 102 meters; so, Johanna’s target now is to travel an almost impossible 103 meters under freezing-cold water.

‘Hold Your Breath’ explained: Is Johanna able to pull off the world record dive?

It is now that the treacherous ordeal of Johanna’s entire attempt becomes clear in its whole to the viewers, as a long stretch of the frozen lake is first cleaned, and then eight triangular holes are dug out at measured distances. As the dive coordinator explains it, Johanna’s attempt would be to enter the water through the first hole, then gradually come out of the last hole, at a distance of exactly 103 meters from the beginning, under one breath, to beat the world record. If she is unable to do it, then the holes in the middle, measuring 20, 40, 60, 71, 82, and 93 meters, would serve as a potential escape route for the athlete, where she would come out of the water to breathe, abandoning her challenge in the process. The place has diving doctors and an ambulance ready to treat her, as she already has hyperthermia in case something goes wrong. Johanna enters the track and then gradually moves ahead, as the group follows her movement from above the frozen lake’s surface. Although she does slow down after having reached a certain distance, Johanna remains as calm and graceful as ever, as she climbs out of the 103-meter hole and signals to the dive coordinator to set the new world record in ice diving.

The documentary film has an effective way of building things up and leading to important parts that are presented with apt tenor. As a jubilant Johanna is hugged and congratulated by the team around her, the relieved Elina admits to the documentary camera that she is now happy that her sister will not have to go into the freezing cold water again. Despite its short duration, “Hold Your Breath: The Ice Dive” also presents brief but important commentaries on global warming, climate change, and the humbling experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. The film is a must-watch for anyone looking for an impactful experience.

“Hold Your Breath: The Ice Dive” is a 2022 Documentary short film streaming on Netflix.

Netflix’s “Erax” is a 10-minute, partly animated short film based on a children’s fantasy book about the beast Erax. Nina is a young girl whose father is absent from her life, and she lives with her Aunt Opal and her boyfriend. Her Aunt Opal tries to strike a work-life balance, and Nina, evidently, is never at the top of her priority list.

Erax is a fictional creature who appears in a book and comes to life to expose Aunty Opal’s sins. As a result, she realizes that she needs to be more accountable for her actions than she was previously. The film depicts how certain external factors help us to ponder upon our own actions and, thus, allow us to become better people. In Aunty Opal’s case, she realizes her importance in Nina’s life and thus makes better judgments to create a balance in her personal and professional life.

Nina’s birthday is the starting point for the short film. Aunty Opal arrives late, almost at the end of a 4 p.m. party. She smashed a post while parking her car. Like a book birdhouse, that post has a couple of books kept in it. She takes a large purple book from the birdhouse as a present for Nina. Her partner expresses dissatisfaction upon entering the house and warns her that she cannot continue to miss important moments like these in Nina’s life. Aunty Opal, who is also concerned about the situation, cooks Mac and Cheese as a peace offering to Nina. When she enters Nina’s room, she wishes her the same and hands her the book.

Nina is upset since the person she cares about the most is unable to attend the party. With Aunt Opal’s prodding, Nina decides to open the book. Nina reads aloud from the book, which has a line about Aunt Opal’s absence from the party being extremely impolite and points out that she is a bad aunt. Surprised by such words, Nina hands the book on to Aunt Opal. The creatures in the book have verses made, based on what is going on in the child’s life right now. While keeping the adult in check, the Erax is affected by the child’s emotions and well-being.

Aunt Opal is given an ultimatum by the Erax, but she refuses to accept it, forcing them to emerge from the book as food-hungry creatures. As a result, Nina and Aunt Opal must mend their relationship and put an end to the Erax within the period of the book’s hourglass, thus sending the Erax back to its book and gaining a chance for them both to resume their normal lives.

The short film is an intriguing insight into how a child’s fantasy world remains relevant in her daily life to sustain her. When a child is unsure of how to communicate his or her deepest feelings, he or she will turn to a creature or a fantasy from a book for guidance or an escape. The author succeeds in building a better world for children in general when a fantasy world comes to the rescue of a child.

“Erax” is a strange story that represents a child’s inner desires, implying a bad usage of the plot and easily making for an unsatisfactory viewing experience. The film’s narrative screams for a more innovative outline and richer character backgrounds, but fails to provide and complete the plot. The quality of production for a short film could have been put to far better use, making for a disappointing viewing experience, but it remains relevant.

“Erax” is a 2022 Drama Fantasy short film directed by Hebru Brantley.

Short film, “Forgive Us Our Trespasses” brings yet another horrific event to light, belonging to the infamous era of World War II. The stories, the occurrences, and the deplorable human conditions have been the inspiration behind many path-breaking films of our time. As soon as you feel that you have seen it all through those prolific films, along comes another, which has such a profound impact on you that you cannot help but think about what that generation would have been through. How did they find the will to keep moving forward amidst such chaos, such brutality, such injustice, and the fear of losing those who mean the world to them?

“Forgive Us Our Trespasses” has been directed by Ashley Eakin, and it captures Peter’s (Knox Gibson) rendezvous with death. Young Peter, who has a disabled arm, is seen sitting in the class when his teacher, Eva (Hanneke Talbot), who is also his mother, makes the class solve a mathematics problem. The problem readout that if a German family needed five Reichsmarks a day to survive, but the cost required to support one person with a hereditary disease was twelve Reichsmarks, then what was the value lost to the German people.

This was the extent of the Nazi propaganda. There is no better way to brainwash an entire generation than by targeting the brooding minds and molding them in the desired manner. Hitler wanted everyone to buy into his “Pure Aryan Race” concept. He knew that if the disabled people were somehow eliminated, then there would be more vacant beds in the hospitals for the soldiers, whom he needed to win the war. But how do you convince a person to kill their loved one without facing any resistance? So he sold an idea that was larger than life.

The dictatorial regime started curating the curriculum in the schools. They wanted the majority to see these people with disabilities and hereditary diseases as marginal human beings who are not worthy of living. A committee was set up under the name “Scientific Treatment of Severe Hereditary and Congenital Diseases.” The committee collected data to figure out how many people with disabilities were in hospitals, so that eventually they could be eliminated. Children were the prime target, but later the operation saw an expansion, where even teens and adults were added, and came to be known as T-4.

When Eva is saying the Lord’s prayer, Peter interrupts her at a specific line that reads, “Forgive those who trespass against us.” The boy innocently asks, “Do they forgive even the Nazis?”

Eva tells him that no calculation can measure the value of life, but she knew that the Nazis would arrive someday to get her disabled son. That day, she feared, had finally arrived. Eva stops them so that Peter gets some time to run to a nearby barn that serves as their hideout. We see another woman already hiding in the barn and in no condition to get up and run. Peter knew that if he stayed there, then the Nazis would catch them both. So he makes the sacrifice. He asks the women to sit quietly while he creates a diversion. The Nazi officer eventually got a hold of him. Somehow, Peter manages to get the better of him and shoot him dead. He rips off his overcoat, wears it, and walks away with a smirk. He survived. History might not remember Peter or children like him. But he knew that he stood up against the atrocities. He knew the importance of forgiveness but also knew how important it was to raise a voice against injustice.

“Forgive Us Our Trespasses” is a 2022 History Drama Short Film directed by Ashley Eakin.

The Human Voice is a short drama freely based on the french monodrama, The Human Voice (Spanish: La Voz Humana) written by Jean Cocteau. The film stars super-talented Tilda Swinton who is the solo performer in the film. Running for approximately 30 minutes, this experimental drama explores the depression fueled by thoughts of separating from her beloved lover. The film is written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar.

‘The Human Voice’ Summary

An aging ad-film actress waits for her lover to arrive and receive his suitcase. Her lover is parting ways ending their 4-year relations, abandoning the woman and the only dog he has. The woman buys a sharp ax from a hardware store, therefore, creating suspense around her vile motives. It’s been 3 days but her lover hasn’t arrived.

Impatiently, she makes a call and expresses her both internal obsession with her love and also how the abandonment has created a dark, depressive hollow inside her. She is suffering from an acute sense of anger and mental imbalance. She expresses her uncontrollable desire to kill her love by sticking a knife in his chest.

In the end, her lover decides not to come and the woman burns the place seeking peace and liberation.

Major Spoilers Ahead

‘The Human Voice’ Explained

Much like Jean Cocteau’s play La Voz Humana, the human voice of the woman’s love is never heard in the entire film. Maybe, the mentally depressed woman created the whole conversation inside her head. She was both the listener and communicator expressing her love, anger, and internal desire.

In one of the bird view shots, it can be witnessed that the woman’s house was divided into blocks and was living without a roof. Her apartment looked like a movie set and in the end, when she burns down the place, we find her sitting inside a large warehouse where this set was established. Due to this minute significance, it can be perceived that her whole act was actually an “act” that she directed to liberate herself from the attachment of her abandoning lover.

Instances where she brutally attacked the bed with an ax ripping off her lover’s expensive suit piece are also evidence of the fact that she realized that actually killing a person is a sin but burning down his memories or murdering the past isn’t. Fire has always been used as a symbol of liberation. In Hindu Mythology, burning bodies is depicted as an act of letting go of the immortal soul from the body.

The Human Voice is an extremely titillating short monodrama. A long but riveting monologue delivers a stream of mixed emotions which is quite brilliant. It is interesting that at one moment, we hate the woman and at the very next moment we feel empathetic for her. The drama is, therefore, exceptionally inviting.

The film ends before dullness peeps in and thus it is hard to judge it narratively. It plays out like an incident rather than a story but does justice to its genre. It wraps a one-woman act brilliantly performed by Tilda Swinton.

The Human Voice is a short monodrama film directed by Pedro Almodóvar. The film is streaming on HBO Max.

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