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Your Daily Short: Harmony Korine's 'Umshimi Wam'

Welcome to the The Short Shrift, a new feature on Film.com that will highlight and stream a short film at high noon. Every weekday. Every week.

TODAY'S SHORT: "Umshimi Wam" (directed by Harmony Korine) 2011

RUNNING TIME: 15:01

Note: "Umshimi Wam" is probably not safe for work. If it is work-safe, you probably work somewhere awesome.

WHY WE LOVE IT: It's rare that a film's title gets legitimately stuck in your head. Not a song from the movie or even a bit of dialogue that burrows into your skull like an ear-worm ("spring breakkkkk"), but the title itself. I first saw this short film – an obviously demented collaboration between man of the moment Harmony Korine and South African rave-rappers Die Antwoord – at its SXSW premiere in 2011, and the movie had been playing for less than ten seconds before it had corrupted my brain forever. "Umshimi Wam umshimi wam. Umshimi wam umshimi wam." I don't know what it means, but I do know that I've been unconsciously chanting it to myself for more than two years now, and it's starting to become a problem.

In 15 minutes, Harmony Korine delivers such a blast of unfettered nihilistic madness that it makes "Spring Breakers" look like a Nicholas Sparks movie. A paraplegic and ominously illogical riff on "Bonnie and Clyde" "Umshimi Wam" follows Ninja and Yolandi as they lazily roll around in wheelchairs they don't need, abuse each other (with love), smoke the biggest blunt in human history and murder just about everyone they encounter. Complete with blinged-out subtitles, sweet alien rims, and a truly discomforting cuteness, "Umshimi Wam" is a short film that you'll remember for a long time.

Do you have a favorite short film that you would like to see as Your Daily Short? Whether it’s something you love, something you made, or both, send it along to Filmdotcomshorts@Gmail.com and you might see it on the site! 

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