Doodlebug

A man in a white shirt seems obsessed with killing an insect. He moves around, fixated only on this one thing. When he finally corners it, things get really weird. This seems to be an experiment on a single note, but because it is over and done with so quickly, we don't have time to be too critical.

The short has a nice style, mysterious, eerie, noir ish. But I'm not completely engaged by the story or any kind of metaphor going on

I think anyone reading this knows what literally happened as far as the storyline goes. In a dingy apartment, a guy that looks possibly insane, carries a shoe as a little black figure scurries across the floor. But what or who is this creature? Who is the man? I think the man represents the human condition. Man is constantly at battle with those who are lesser than us. We feel the need to conquer and thus we are the ones who pose threat to ourselves. The man hitting the small version of himself with the shoe shows abstractly the very thesis i just said. In hurting others, he really only hurts himself. (i am finding out while writing this that there are several morals or messages that the director wanted to portray, and i am doing none of them justice)

Great atmosphere, interesting story and pretty good execution by Chris Nolan who later will become one of the greatest directors of all time. Kind of an origin story ;)

Doodlebug is quite outstanding for what it is. The special effects look really good, something I wouldn't expect for a low or no budget short film. The cinematography is also really good and I can see Nolan style in it. Lighting, camera movement and framing too. The score is simple, but great and with the help of the clock ticking, the phone ringing, it created some tension. Probably the best short film I've ever seen, I haven't seen many though.