By it’s very nature, a short like Varmint is difficult to analyze without venturing into spoiler territory. So, suffice it to say—keeping things broad—Varmint is a film about humanity.  Yeah, I know, I hate it when people write general statements like that too, but for this film, the central action of the film is meant to be metaphorical—the specific story used as a tool to provide commentary on a range of philosophical topics. What makes a creature human? Why are some forms of life so capriciously considered to be disposable while others are not?

But, I don’t mean to imply that Varmint is some clumsily rendered philosophy 101 thesis. No, that would be selling the film short. Directed by Joel Knoernschild and written by Chris Schieffelin, the film is essentially a coming of age tale—a high-concept illustration of that moment when the world suddenly becomes a lot less innocent. Fortunately, it does this is in a  highly unique way, constructing an offbeat sun-kissed world where corn dogs are the primary form of sustenance and everybody is just a lil’ bit country. The result is darkly comic, yet also quite heady—a thinking man’s allegory if there ever was one. We watch as our miscreant of a hero attempts to hijack a tractor. In the process, another young boy, the daydreaming Junior (played by Chase Ford) is forced to confront the nature of cruelty and just how flippant us humans can be when dealing out “justice.”

You’re not a varmint. You’re a boy.

Overall, the film was quite a creative undertaking.  The Varmint team has been working together for 10 years (Knoernschild and Schieffelin met in college). This short in particular was filmed at a friend’s winery in Sonoma, CA over the course of six days. Prior to the start of the shoot, Knoernschild shot a live-action animatic on-location in order to work through all the major kinks prior to principal photography. Additionally, to get the film’s gold-tinted look, all day exteriors were only shot during magic hour, so the cast and crew had to work quickly and efficiently to make best use of the light. To dive deeper into “Team Varmint’s” very unique production process—from concept to completion—check out this awesome making of “diary.” It provides an insightful and in-depth look into the creation process. If you’re an indie-filmmaker such as myself, it really is a great read.

While I don’t necessarily think the film quite earns its 20 minute runtime (I do like things short after all), I really admire Varmint’s commitment to making something that just feels…well…different. In its efforts to elucidate the universality of human nature, it paints a world that has a very unique set of rules. This isn’t a fantasy to be sure, but it’s also not meant to be taken literally either. It’s weird, challenging, and also, surprisingly, quite touching. It’s easy to see why it snagged the audience award at New Orleans and the grand jury prize at Dances with Films. Knoernschild and Schieffelin currently have a feature written that takes places in the same delightfully strange universe. Let’s just hope that there are enough corn dogs left in the world.