Short films can often be relegated to the sidelines in favor of feature-length movies. However, they can provide just as much impact and entertainment as their longer counterparts. Many famous and popular directors, like Martin McDonagh and Lynne Ramsay, also have short films under their belts, and these can be great entry points for understanding their filmographies. This is because these shorts will often distill a theme that is prevalent across their other works. Once you’ve understood that, it can be easier to pick up on future instances of this preoccupying idea.

It’s also not necessary for shorts to come from big names; they can also be a great way to discover new filmmakers. So many of us are busy and have to be careful with our time. If you’re not in the mood to invest a whole evening to check out a new director, spending a half hour or so on a short is not so daunting. Some of the most experimental work is done by short filmmakers and always has been, the medium can expand your tastes and broaden your cinematic horizons. Here are ten short films to watch when you don’t have time for a feature-length movie.

10 Cold Meridian (2020)

Cold Meridian short film still
Mindwax

From Peter Strickland, director of In Fabric and Berberian Sound Studio, comes this six-minute short, Cold Meridian. Its premise revolves around an online ASMR performer whose videos have a ritualistic effect on her viewers. ASMR stands for autonomous sensory meridian response, which is the term for a reaction our bodies have to certain auditory stimuli where we feel a shivery, static-like sensation. Strickland’s movies have often been concerned with rhythm and sound, so this short seems to be a natural progression from movies like In Fabric, where verbal incantations feature heavily. This short has a clear flow that sucks you into its world and guides you in the place of a more obvious plot sequence. It’s a full body experience that has a big impact for such a short piece of work.

9 World of Tomorrow (2015)

World of Tomorrow short film still
Bitter Films

World of Tomorrow is an animated short film by Don Hertzfeldt. It follows a little girl, Emily, who answers a phone call from a cloned version of herself in the distant future. The Emily of the future takes her on a tour of the world and explains the way things have changed. The animation has a distinct style but is still simple, as is the dialogue. However, this simplicity does not mean the short itself is simple, it has a huge impact. Future Emily's desperate search for connection and reprieve is touching and somehow relatable. There is a careful balance of sadness and humor, and Hertzfeldt says in an interview with The Dissolve that the sadness can "make us appreciate the happier times when they come around again." It’s a deeply thoughtful short, and there’s no wonder it was nominated for an Oscar.

8 Meshes of the Afternoon (1943)

Maya Deren in Meshes of the Afternoon
Mystic Fire Video

Pioneering avant-garde director Maya Deren’s first short film was Meshes of the Afternoon. It follows a woman, played by Deren, who returns home and falls asleep, and what we see might be real or her dreams. There are repeated images of a record player eternally spinning, a serrated knife, and many different versions of Deren. As the sounds and images loop, the house becomes a kind of maze that she cannot escape. Her screen presence is powerful and hard to look away from. The atmosphere that is built is gripping and anxiety-inducing, with a looming sense of doom permeating the short. Deren manages to build such a strong and immersive sense of place in just 14 minutes that it’s no wonder this short positioned her at the forefront of experimental filmmaking.

7 The Big Shave (1967)

The Big Shave short film still
The Criterion Channel

The Big Shave is directed by Martin Scorsese. It features a man shaving his face, in the process of which, he cuts himself. It takes place in a sparklingly clean bathroom, which contrasts with the torrents of blood that come later on. There is also an upbeat song playing in the background that immediately creates a sense of dread rather than comfort. It’s a perfect microcosm of Scorsese’s work, there’s tension, meaning, and violence, but also a sense of humor.

Related: 11 of Martin Scorsese's Favorite Movies

6 Meeting the Man: James Baldwin in Paris (1970)

James Baldwin in Meeting the Man_ James Baldwin in Paris
Contemporary Films

In this documentary short, Meeting the Man: James Baldwin in Paris, filmmaker Terence Dixon interviews author James Baldwin. It’s a complex viewing experience because on the one hand, it’s so rare to find footage of Baldwin, and the things he has to say are compelling. On the other hand, the filmmakers' treatment of Baldwin is off-putting and uncomfortable to watch. There are scenes where the interviewer, who is notably white, gets agitated because he can’t understand the argument that Baldwin is making. However, in a later scene where we simply get to watch Baldwin talk to his readers in a much more relaxed setting, the tension is relieved. Baldwin is intelligent, enigmatic, and persuasive, and being able to watch him discuss ideas is a gift, despite its source.

5 Gourmet Baby (2001)

Gourmet Baby short film still
Asian Film Archive

Years before Sandi Tan directed her documentary Shirkers, she made her first short film, Gourmet Baby. This short follows a lonely middle-aged man and his young niece who he wants to make into his perfect dinner partner. We first see her at age seven when she cheerfully goes along with his plans. Later, when she is 12, she is not so compliant. The dynamic presented is intriguing and not one that is often shown on screen. Tan does an excellent job of not telling the audience how to feel about what we’re shown, she just presents us with an interesting scenario. Allowing the audience to do part of the work is essential in short filmmaking, with such a short amount of time to express yourself, you have to rely on the audience too.

4 How They Get There (1997)

How They Get There short film still
Palm Pictures

Early in his career, Spike Jonze, director of Her and Being John Malkovich, made How They Get There. At only three minutes long, and with no dialogue, Jonze does a lot with a little. The short follows two strangers on opposite sides of the street who start flirting by playing copycat as they walk along until something un-copyable occurs. As a result of the short run time, not a moment is wasted, the whole three minutes is pure entertainment. Additionally, the two strangers have chemistry that feels genuine, even without dialogue to express themselves. Small details are shown about the characters that build to explain how the rather catastrophic ending takes place. It’s a great lesson in showing rather than telling.

3 Hotel Chevalier (2007)

Jason Schwartzman and Natalie Portman in Hotel Chevalier
20th Century Fox

Hotel Chevalier is a prologue to Wes Anderson’s film The Darjeeling Limited. It finds Jason Schwartzman’s character Jack Whitman in the titular hotel when he gets a phone call from an ex-girlfriend played by Natalie Portman. He begins to straighten up the hotel room, puts music on, and runs a bath. When she arrives, the events play out in typical Wes Anderson style, and we learn more about their past together and the complications of their relationship. The ending is ambiguous, with the pair standing on the hotel room balcony looking out over Paris. As a stand-alone piece, it provides an interesting slice of life. But when considered in tandem with The Darjeeling Limited, it definitely adds an extra layer to the full-length movie.

Related: All 10 Wes Anderson Movies, Ranked

2 The Neighbors' Window (2019)

The Neighbors' Window short film still
Marshall Curry Productions

In this Oscar-winning short, The Neighbors’ Window, a middle-aged mother with small children has her perspective on life shaken when a young couple moves in across the street. As she watches them interact and go about their lives in a much freer way than she is used to it shocks and intrigues her. This short picks up the voyeuristic mantle from movies like Peeping Tom, or Rear Window, but is much less of a thriller and more of a character study. The director, Marshall Curry, had previously worked on documentaries, and perhaps this experience led to the grounded feeling of this short. Speaking to Filmmaker Magazine, Curry revealed that he “wanted the acting and production design and lighting to feel as authentic as a documentary.” It’s a refreshing, realistic take on the idea of voyeurism that cinema lends itself to so easily.

1 A Trip to the Moon (1902)

The moon in Trip to the Moon (1902).
Star Film Company

Georges Méliès was a film director in the early days of the art form. One of his most famous works, A Trip to the Moon, depicts a group of astronomers going on a surreal and fantastical voyage to the moon. The most iconic image from this short is the bullet-shaped rocket hitting the moon in the eye. After this, the scientists disembark to discover that the moon is wonderful but deadly. Also an illusionist, he experimented with new and exciting techniques for creating practical special effects on film. Methods such as hand-painted frames and double exposures were popularized by Méliès. His work is considered some of the first, and most influential, sci-fi films.