Director Todd Solondz‘s latest feature Wiener-Dog opens in U.S. theaters this Friday (see our Sundance review). After a five-year break from narrative features, judging from our take, he’s anything but rusty. Now, thanks to Le CiNéMa Club, one can get a peek at his early filmmaking days as the director’s 1984 graduate film from NYU Tisch has been unearthed.
The assignment was to create 7-10 minute narrative with non-sync sound and minimal dialogue, which, coming from a film student, can sound like a drag. However, the result is Babysitter, a clever piece that chronicles a boy’s recollection of his slew of caretakers. Other than briefly paying homage to The Graduate and a few of his other influences, Solondz’s short demonstrates the birth of a new cinematic voice, one that he has been sharpening for the past 30-odd years.
Check out the short below, which expires on Saturday, as well as a 1-hour talk conducted by the late David Carr, done a few years back, and a TV spot for Solondz’s latest film.
Wiener-Dog opens on Friday, June 24 and expands in the coming weeks.