“Salt” (2017)

While there is an abundance of short programming on the Internet—in the form of music videos, sketches, short films, and more—I tend to remember the shorts I see at festivals the best. Mostly I’ve only attended SXSW and Fantastic Fest, and yet there still dozens of titles that have appeared there which will also pop up in this feature. Maybe it’s due to the presentation or getting to experience the emotional impact with an audience, but these brief movies linger in my memories for many years after.

One of those shorts is SALT, which I caught at Fantastic Fest in 2018. It’s a fairly simple story wherein Annie (Alice Lowe) looks to protect her ill child (Beau Gadson). Director Rob Savage (working from a script that he co-wrote with Jed Shepherd) does fantastic economic work establishing the world, characters, and situations without any handholding while the story propels forward and emotions intensify. Cinematographer Sam Heasman and Production Designer Julie Grudnowska impressively add to the deceptively basic plot through a great deal of visual clues and atmosphere.

SALT played about 15 festivals, bringing home major awards at three of them. It’s a two-minute slice of terror that’s well worth your time and, long after it’s over, may also sit waiting in the dark recesses of your mind.

(Sidenote: I was gathering Twitter names for this write-up when I saw that SALT was picked by Short of the Week on June 14. There was no collusion or copying! I guess there’s just something in the air…)