The Birth Order Experiment

“Listen to the ground. There is movement all around. There is something goin’ down. And I can feel it.” Characters face circumstances that range from challenging to harrowing in this collection of shorts that is both provocative and playful. In Tom Schroeder’s irresistible The Birth Order Experiment (US 2019, 9m), remember back to the days of groovy ‘70s animation and hip professors with their filmed academic studies. John Wick has nothing on Godefroy Ryckewaert’s The Collector (France 2019, 8m) as he pursues an overdue bill in this remarkable action-packed dance floor throwdown. Karolina Esqueda’s Ode to the Beans (Oda a los frijoles) (US 2020, 4m) manages to turn an autobiographical found footage essay into a clever, perceptive take on her culture and an essential food item.