Fantastic Short Film Friday - The Politics of Competetive Board Gaming (documentary)

And we are back with another installment in our Fantastic Short Film Friday series, as we continue to showcase films released in the "lesser" known form of cinema- the short film.

It's time for another amazing short film for all you short film lovers out there. I know I always go back to this, but documentary's are my favorite form of film entertainment. Just the idea of a camera lens capturing the skewed light and aspects of reality, creating a warped reality where the mundane becomes enthralling - that just that just pleases me to no end. Couple that with a card based board game and you have magic. Here is the 10-minute documentary short The Politics of Competitive Board Gaming from filmmaker Jay Cheel.

Here's the synopsis:

A group of friends get together to play the card game Settlers of Catan, and like any gathering of wits against patience, fireworks ensue.

I know this may come as a big shock to our readers and listeners of the podcast, but I'm a big geek. And I grew up playing all forms of card and board games, from Magic to Gathering to Risk to the very game on display here, Settlers of Catan. I'm not going to lie, things can get heated and patience can be tested when you've been sitting around for hours just talking smack to one another, teasing and prodding to pass the time. It's doesn't lend to the finest moments of human evolution, but it can be entertaining. Filmmaker Jay Cheel deftly creates a short concept that can be incredibly boring, a group of guys sitting around and playing a game, and makes it a fun battle of wits with beautifully shot scenes and an excellent use of a killer soundtrack. You don't have to have played the game to enjoy this short, but if you have you'll see yourself as a mirror to these poor settlers.

Check this out if you want to see a whole new world you never knew existed. Check this out if you want to just get a good laugh at how some people can take even the most mundane of contests too seriously. Enjoy this weeks dose of short film goodness with The Politics of Competitive Board Gaming.