SETTING BOUNDARIES, 5min., Poland
Directed by Iza Pajak
Written & Starring: Diana Matlak
A woman tries to set boundaries while struggling to fight for her needs.
Review by Victoria Angelique
The narrative short film, SETTING BOUNDARIES, is a brilliant depiction of a person's inner voice and how it can be triggered based on interactions with other individuals. The story is an allegory for how a person's inner fears could be louder than personal desires, especially when other people echo the thoughts that rage inside the mind.
The black and white setting makes it immediately apparent that the film is a drama, yet never seeing or hearing the person on the other side of the phone allows the viewer to focus on a woman that is facing herself either in a mirror or around a table. It's the same actress at every angle, except when she answers the phone, then the camera focuses on the woman in a singular frame. Whoever is on the other end of the line is clearly able to manipulate her with a few words, causing the other 4 versions of herself to double down in agreement with the exploiter.
The sound design is award worthy. The difference in tones between the assertive voice versus the frail voice is a work of art. It makes it feel as if the voice is not the actress, but the audience as they watch this woman unravel only to find her strength to quiet the voice of fear when she finally stands up for herself. The score aids the narrative, starting out quiet and getting louder to shut out the voices as the woman finally finds her courage to say no. She feels triumphant and is able to quiet her inner dialogue as she realizes who she is based on the person on the other line triggering her by calling her a simple name "selfish".
Director Iza Pajak does a fantastic job at depicting a theme that echos in everyones head, the loud inner voices drowning out what someone really wants. The desire to be heard and do what each person wants is a common trait, making this film relatable to almost anyone that would watch it as everyone has been taken advantage of due to their inner dialogue shutting down rational thoughts to the point that someone is exhausted.
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