Watch: What Do the Sheep Know? ‘Some Kind of Intimacy’ Short Film

Watch: What Do the Sheep Know? ‘Some Kind of Intimacy’ Short Film

by Alex Billington
June 23, 2023
Source: Vimeo

“The more time I spend with them, the more I feel that they know that there are people buried here.” “Do you think animals know anything?” A good question, one that can never actually be answered because none of us will lever know what it’s like to be an animal. But we can certainly wonder… Some Kind of Intimacy is a short film made by a British filmmaker named Toby Bull, and after playing at festivals for the past few years it’s now available online to watch. Here is the pitch: A filmmaker tries to communicate with the sheep living where his parents are buried. It’s as simple as that. He starts to wonder if they can sense his parents buried under the grass they’re grazing on. The short film isn’t even 6 minutes, but it gets you to think about things (life, death, souls, baaa?). “This minimalist film is huge, for it seizes a just intuition, a sort of vision,” one review proclaims. Watching all these sheep reminds me of The Witch again. I’m sure Black Phillip knew.

Thanks to Vimeo Staff Picks for the tip on this short playing online now. The official synopsis via Vimeo: In the British countryside, director Toby Bull observes the sheep that live on the land where his parents were buried several years ago. Talking to his brother on the phone, they start a conversation about the means of communication between the animal kingdom, that of the living and that of the dead. An original perspective on bereavement, tackled with humour and tenderness.” Some Kind of Intimacy is directed and filmed by London-based filmmaker Toby Bull – you can see more of his work on his Vimeo or visit his official website or follow him on IG @bulltobybull. Produced by Isidore Bethel & Toby Bull. This initially premiered at the 2021 Visions du Réel Film Festival, and it also played at Sundance London and tons of other festivals. For more info, visit the film’s Vimeo page or Toby’s site. To discover more shorts, click here. What do you think?

Find more posts: Short Film, To Watch