Tales of the Unexpected
A programme of National Film and Television School fiction and animation films connected by the theme of the unexpected, curated from our collection by Geoff Badger.
Incomplete - a still from the film, 2 of 5 (2006) by Yann DemangeNational Film and Television School
Riveting drama, outrageous comedy, meditative animation. Whichever the form, watching these films gives us the common experience of being guided by a filmmaker with a gift for taking us on a ride: setting and resetting expectations, and then possibly resetting them again.
Our Footsteps in the Leaves (2007)
A beautiful mesmerising meditative film crafted in beautiful hand-drawn animation. A young woman walks through the bustling leaves in a forest mourning a loss we only slowly begin to understand.
Mass of Men (2011)
The tale of an unemployed man facing bureaucracy at an unemployment centre is compelling social commentary before it takes a sharp turn, and then a full somersault before its visceral conclusion. A film that sticks in the mind for some time.
Echo (2012)
An aesthetic of naturalism sets up a story that then surprises us by turns. A teenage schoolgirl in a busy London street receives a phone call with some unexpected bad news and a stranger offers to help. What could be the twist in this tale?
Incomplete (2006)
A young man wakes up one day to find his penis has disappeared. A modern fable with tones shifting from comedy to drama to satire. What would you do if this happened to you?
Laika (2010)
Lively reimagining of the story of real-life Soviet space dog, Laika one of the first animals in space. The story, which is rendered in brightly-coloured cell animation, shifts backwards and forwards in time before leading to an enlightening and surprisingly moving conclusion.
