Spoiler Alert
Buffet Infinity is a film that may feel overwhelming at first. That’s partly because it’s built almost entirely from the kind of late-night local commercials that once dominated community television. Watching it in a theatre replicates the hazy experience of channel surfing after midnight—when you can’t sleep and wind up watching whatever strange programming is still on. If I had to compare it to a favourite broadcast from the late 80s to 90s, it’s as zany and unpredictable as Friday Night Videos.
Where I live, that often meant endless ads from Gordie Dodd’s quirky furniture store or oddball operations out of Belleville, WA. Elsewhere, it might be family-owned diners, pawn shops, or obscure grocery stores. In Simon Glassman‘s surreal feature, even Babbacock Insurance gets screen time.
The 29th annual Fantasia Film Festival has wrapped, and I’m already looking forward to what next year will bring. I’m still catching up on all the fantastic works showcased this year, especially the short films—and I’ve carefully taken the time to highlight the ones that truly stood out. This roundup features my five favourite Fantasia short films. Two were compelling enough to deserve their own dedicated posts: 
