Each week the folks at Cinema Circus show a series of short films on Wednesday evenings at the Chilmark Community Center. The films begin at 6 p.m. but at 5 p.m. the circus — complete with jugglers, face painters, stilt walkers, food and music — gets under way.

An advanced screening of the films was arranged. In a world with few certainties, the kid critic is the critic to trust. This week’s reviewer is Will LaFarge

The Story Tree (Dir. Stephanie Sim / Canada / 2006 / 3 min.)

This film is a short animation. It’s a little weird. The film does not have a real story line and the only characters are a boy and an old man. The film has only music, no talking and it is about a tree that had books hanging from the branches. Whenever a new book is added another one drops to the ground. Also, an old man seems to write the books on the tree. The film is very different because it is very mysterious and unpredictable. This film hooked me so I give the story four out of five stars.

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything (Dir. Virginia Wilkos / U.S.A. / 2011 / 11 min.)

This animated movie is about an old lady who says she is not afraid of anything. One day she takes a long walk into the forest. First she meets big empty clomping shoes and tells them to get out of her way and that she’s not afraid of them. But the shoes keep following her. She keeps meeting empty clothes. With every one she tells them to get out of her way. But they keep following her. At the end of her walk she meets a floating pumpkin head. She immediately runs to her house with everything following behind her. As soon as she gets home, she locks the door. Soon, though, there is a knocking. The lady sees all the empty things. She boldly says “I’m not afraid of you.” It turns out all the empty things want is just to scare someone, but they can’t. Then they get their wish and get to be scarecrows in the old woman’s garden. This film is the longest film. The film is boring in the middle because of all the repeating, but is better at the end. The main characters are the old lady and all the empty clothes. I rate this film three of five stars.

I Don’t Want a Guinea Pig (Dir. Beth Algieri / U.K. / 2010 / 3 min.)

This film is about a girl who wants a pet. She keeps trying exotic pets, like a bear. Her mom keeps suggesting a guinea pig, but the girl keeps trying weird pets. At the end the girl gives in to getting a guinea pig and she loves it. I liked getting to see all the flaws of the exotic pets. It’s a very happy and fun film. This film is uniquely easygoing. The main characters are the mom and the girl. I give this film four of five stars.

The Bear Facts (Dir. Jonathan Wright / Canada / 2010 / 4 min.)

This is an animated film about how some robot-like thing sails to a place where someone else lives. The whole time it is clear the native is a lot smarter. I liked it when the native person pulled a very funny trick on the robot and sent him away. The main characters are the native and the robot. This is one of the funnier films, so I give it five out of five stars.

Miss Devine (Dirs. Mike Rauch and Tim Rauch / U.S.A. / 2010 / 4 min.)

This is an animated film about a Sunday school teacher called Miss Devine. The film is about what Miss Devine does to all the children. I liked hearing about all the mean and funny things she did to everyone. It made me wonder what was going to happen next. The main characters are Miss Devine, the boy and the girl. The film is very funny, so I give it four of five stars.

The Adventures of Pim and Pom: Dance Party (Dir. Gioia Smid / Netherlands / 2010 / 5 min.)

This is also an animated film. The film is about how Pim has a dance party at her house, without telling Pom. Pom thinks she cannot dance. After a little bit of being worried, Pom realizes that she can dance well. After that, all the animals have a great time dancing. Pim and Pom, the main characters, are cats, but some of the main characters are dogs, too. This film is very happy and fun to watch. I give this film five out of five stars.

Shop Tales (Dir. Eszter Szoboszlay / Hungary / 2010 / 7 min.)

This is an animated film. The film is about a boy who goes into many different shops. They all have something special inside. I liked the shop with all the old people smiling in pictures from long ago. The only character is the boy who goes into all the shops. The unique thing about this film is that it’s in a different language; but there are subtitles so you can tell what the narrator is saying. This is a very mysterious film. I like it that way so I give it four out of five stars.

Left Out (Dir. Tony Dusko / U.S.A. / 2011 / 1 min.)

This is an animated film. This film is only one minute long. I didn’t like that, but I like how they made the people look. The film is about how the main character gets left out from a soccer game. He is sad, but he doesn’t want to tattle. Then a girl comes in and says telling a grownup is the right thing to do. So then the boy tells a grownup and everything gets sorted out, and the boy gets to play. It turns out he’s very good at soccer. The moral is that it’s OK to tell someone if you’re being left out. I give this four out of five stars.

Second Hand (Dir. Isaac King / Canada / 2011 / 8 min.)

This is an animated film about two neighbors who are opposite. The main characters are the fast man and the slow man and the slow woman. The fast man does everything fast and is always in a hurry and throws everything away. But the other family is very relaxed and very resourceful. I liked watching the change between slow and fast, but it made me a little confused because one moment it was all slow and the next it was very fast. I give this film four out of five stars.