Film

Shoal

A 12-minute Argentine comedy about a woman trying to compose a song about mollusks and existentialism while her stepbrother and his excitable squash-obsessed friend derail everything. It's silly, energetic, and wonderfully uninterested in logic—the kind of short that plays by its own hilarious rules and leaves you grinning at its sheer committed weirdness.

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy small, cheerfully chaotic comedies where an absurd premise is played straight and the jokes come from ordinary people failing to cooperate, all in about twelve minutes.

Skip it if you want a comedy with a strong narrative arc or big payoffs, since this one is a slight, loose sketch that mostly leans on its mood and its odd little collisions of characters.

What it asks of you: Very short and unhurried in its own way, it asks for a single sitting of attention, with a light tone that rewards playing along with its scattered, weekend-house energy.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

What We Do in the Shadows2014

A mockumentary about vampire roommates that nails absurdist humour through deadpan delivery and characters who are completely sincere about ridiculous situations. The same spirit of joyful, unhinged chaos.

But It's a full film, not a short, and the humour is heavily reliant on the format. If you don't click with mockumentary style, you won't connect.

What We Do in the Shadows poster

Palm Springs2020

A time-loop rom-com that finds existential dread hilarious and treats its characters' chaos with genuine warmth. Smart and silly at once, refusing to choose between the two.

But The premise is familiar enough that some will guess the shape of it early. Relies on emotional stakes building over time, which a short doesn't have to do.

Palm Springs poster

The Mitchells vs. the Machines2021

A family comedy animated with infectious energy and total commitment to absurdist tangents. Every frame overflows with jokes and personality; it respects the audience's intelligence while never stopping laughing.

But The visual density can be exhausting if you're not in the mood for constant stimulation. Some find the family dynamics treacly beneath the zaniness.

The Mitchells vs. the Machines poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Shoal

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Werckmeister Harmonies2001

Both treat philosophical ideas—existence, meaning, how we function as a group—as the actual substance of the story, not its backdrop. Both find comedy or strangeness in taking absurd concepts entirely seriously.

A Hungarian black-and-white film about a village visited by a travelling circus with a mysterious whale. It's slow, dreamlike, and philosophically strange—about society's ugliness beneath surface normalcy. Nothing like Shoal in tone, but shares its interest in existential weight hiding inside everyday confusion.

But Shot in high-contrast black and white with minimal dialogue, sustained long takes, and no plot momentum. It's meditative to the point of glacial. You must surrender to its pace entirely.

Werckmeister Harmonies poster
More like this (6)

Schitt's Creek2015

A wealthy family loses everything and moves to a small town. The humour comes from sincere characters in ridiculous circumstances, built on genuine affection and impeccable comic timing.

But It takes three seasons to hit its stride. Early episodes feel like they're still finding their voice, which tests patience.

Schitt's Creek poster

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt2015

A woman adjusts to the outside world after a cult. It's anarchic, fast, and completely committed to its own absurdist logic. Every episode is a series of brilliant tangents held together by warmth.

But The rapid-fire pace and joke density exhausts some viewers. It's deliberately cartoonish, which doesn't land for everyone.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt poster

Hunt for the Wilderpeople2016

A grumpy old man and a foster kid on the run in the New Zealand bush. Taika Waititi's trademark: profound affection for his characters dressed up as irreverent comedy. Genuinely moving.

But The tone shifts significantly between scenes. If you want consistency, this will feel uneven.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople poster

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil2010

A horror-comedy that subverts genre expectations by making its hillbilly 'villains' sympathetic and funny. Quick, clever, and doesn't overstay its welcome. Pure fun with an edge.

But The central premise relies on you finding slapstick deaths amusing. If gore comedy isn't your register, you'll check out fast.

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil poster

Fleabag2016

A woman navigates family chaos and personal disaster with breakneck wit and honest vulnerability. Never chooses between comedy and genuine pain. Twenty-five minutes of perfect storytelling.

But The fourth wall breaks can feel gimmicky if you're not with the show's sensibility. Some episodes prioritize character work over laughs.

Fleabag poster

I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson2019

Sketch comedy that commits completely to bizarre premises and escalates them beyond logic into pure chaos. No celebrities, no irony, just absolute conviction. A sketch might be about a haunted car or an absurd customer interaction.

But The sketches don't resolve—they derail into surrealism. If you want setup-punchline structure, this breaks that contract deliberately.

I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson poster

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