Filmofil.ba sa ponosom predstavlja kritike mladih autora nastale u okviru ovogodišnjeg programa Talents Sarajevo na 22. Sarajevo Film Festivalu

Piše: Andreea Mihalcea Prevod sa engleskog: Bojana Pušara

Suočavanje sa smrću onih koje volimo pretvara se u nedefinisani trenutak koji najavljuje međufaze procesa mijenjanja onoga što jesmo, vrednovanja sadašnjosti i promatranja prošlosti. Izuzetno mračan kratki film Fox, nedavno nagrađen u Lokarnu, vješto predstavlja sa psihoanalitične tačke gledišta rubni prostor u kojem se prelaze okviri društvenih struktura.  Žena srednjih godina i samohrana majka troje djece šminka se pred ogledalom, jer treba uskoro da krene na sastanak sa svojim dečkom. Njeno dvoje mlađe djece čitaju bajke, a porodični pas leži na podu odmah pored njih. Prije nego što napusti kuću, njen nabusiti i buntovni sin Stephanos je fizički napada u pubertetskom naletu bijesa i agresije. Ono što niko od njih još uvijek ne zna je da će se njihovi život nepovratno promijeniti sa završetkom ovog vrelog ljetnjeg dana.

Režiserska zvijezda u usponu, Jacqueline Lentzou, postavlja od samog početka gledaoca u specifičnu poziciju i koristi narativni kliše da prikaže kako nastaju mehanizmi krivice i kajanja.

Dok majka vozi duž vrlo opasnog puta, vidno potresena, publici nije teško da pretpostavi kakav će se kraj imati ova scena; tome značajno doprinosi muzička podloga, Bowie i Modern Love ili Mother. Za to vrijeme u porodičnoj kući telefon ne prestaje da zvoni, što znatno ometa gledaoca, ali niko ne podiže slušalicu. Ono što djeca znaju jeste da je "majka lisica" negdje napolju. Za Stephanosa to znači da može pozvati svoju djevojku i voditi ljubav s njom, kad mu se već ukazala prilika. Ista predvidiva logika vodi i dvoje mlađe djece, koja uživaju u društvu dok plešu, uživaju na suncu ili se prskaju vodom, ne znajući da će im brat i njegova djevojka uskoro postati zamjenski roditelji. Publika je ipak potpuno svjesna da je ovo jedan od posljednjih Stephanosovih trenutaka slobode, jer ga odgovornost odraslog čovjeka čeka već iza prvog ćoška.

Naša očekivanja nastala iz idiličnog prikaza uobičajenih porodičnih trenutaka gdje se svi osjećaju dobro polako se ruše uz pomoć izuzetno uspješno dizajniranog zvuka i fotografije.

Dihotomija život-smrt koja je obuhvaćena samom temom filma reflektuje se uspješno kroz niz kontradikcija. Na primjer, prijeteći zvuk aviona ili mučni trenuci tišine miješaju se sa ugodnim ambijentalnim žamorom. Na isti način kontrast je postignut između kadrova u kojima se prelivaju prirodna dnevna svjetlost i zlokobna noćna tama. Svim ovim sredstvima značajno je uvećana sveukupna vrijednost ovog  filma u kontekstu porodičnog raja koga više nema. Dodatno, krupni kadrovi snimljeni kamerom u visini očiju, kao i oni nepomični iz ptičje perspektive, najvjerovatnije aludiraju na simbolični majčin pogled kojim još uvijek prati svoju djecu.

Kad se Stephanos konačno usred noći javi na telefon, sve što je u stanju da uradi je da muklo upita: "Šta?", pokazujući tako po prvi put izvana svoju ranjivost. Narednog jutra osjećaj opšte tromosti i prepuštanja inerciji već je preuzeo kontrolu nad "lisicama".

Fillmofil.ba proudly represents the works of young critics done in program Talents Sarajevo of 22nd Sarajevo Film Festival

Strikingly bleak short film

Written by: Andreea Mihalcea Translation: Bojana Pušara

Facing the death of a loved one translates into an in-between moment that changes who we are, how we value the present and rethink the past. The strikingly bleak short film Fox, recently awarded in Locarno, craftily plays upon the notion of liminality from a psychoanalytical point of view. A middle-aged woman and single-mother of three is putting on make-up in front of the mirror, as she is about to leave the house and meet up with her boyfriend. Her two younger kids are reading fairy-tales while the family dog is sickly laying on the floor right next to them. But before stepping out the door, her disapproving and rebellious teenage son, Stephanos, lashes out at her, in an outburst of anger and aggression. What none of them know is that their lives are about to irreversibly change once this particular hot summer day is over.

Talented newcomer Greek director Jacqueline Lentzou draws up right from the outset a specific type of viewer engagement "contract" and employs narrative clichés as a means to interrogate how remorse and guilt related mechanisms are formed. As the mother is driving along a dangerous road, visibly distressed, it’s not difficult for the audience to figure out how this elliptic scene will end; especially if the soundtrack features reflexive popular references to famous Bowie songs, such as Modern Love or Mother. Meanwhile, back at the family house, even though the phone is ringing incessantly, and therefore distancing the viewer, no one is picking up. As far as the children know, the "mother fox" is simply out, somewhere. This means that Stephanos can invite his girlfriend over, to hang out together and have sex, as most adolescents would, when given the opportunity. The same cliché logic goes for how the younger brother and sister are depicted: innocently enjoying the company of their soon-to-be substitute parents while dancing, sun-bathing, or playfully splashing each other with water. The audience, however, is fully aware that they’re witnessing Stephanos’ last chance at freedom, since grown-up responsibilities are waiting right around the corner.

Our expectations in relation to this idyllic portrayal of ordinary feel-good family moments are carefully being subverted through an efficiently elaborated sound-design and cinematography. The life-death dichotomy that is hinted at thematically is minutely reflected also in terms of formal contradictions. For instance, ominously amplified airplane sounds or poignant moments of silence are mixed with generally comforting direct sound ambience noises. In the same way, the contrast between shots suffused with natural warm daylight and the death-linked night scenes painterly enhances the overall paradise lost quality of the film. Additionally, a potential close reading of the camerawork, based on alternating handheld eye-level shots with a few fixed bird’s eye views, could perhaps allude to a symbolic mother’s gaze, still directed at her children.

When Stephanos finally picks up the phone at night, all that he’s able to do is quietly ask "What?", showing for the first time outward vulnerability. The following morning, a sense of general inertia has already seized control over the "foxes".