More Artistic Than Emotional
Overall, I found this film to be more artistic than emotional. You can definitely see why the two main actors went on to become pretty well-known names, so I wouldn't say it was linked to performance. But rather the style.The frequent switch between silence and noise kept jarring me out of immersion. I really wish they had stuck with one or the other, or used it more sparingly. We also get the ML's thoughts in the form of a black out screen with korean written across it. I feel like what was being thought was important, but the blackout screen didn't help me connect to the character. So perhaps an interlude scene of the ML signing his thoughts would have been more effective. Or even seeing him writing it down in a diary. It's just so important in a short film to keep us connected to the characters, and this film just didn't accomplish that in my opinion.
Visually, it was quite effective and striking though. We got a really comprehensive look at how our characters were feeling, both through their acting and through the way they were visually shot amongst other characters. Or even lighting (such as the green lighting that seemed to suggest our MC's jealousy). It was used with such efficiency to instantly tell us the story and the state of our characters.
I am not particularly qualified to speak to the accuracy of the deaf portrayal, so if what I say next is incorrect - please feel free to correct me. I would love to hear qualified thoughts on this and will gladly adjust my review accordingly.
Based on my interactions with deaf content creators on social media and with other deaf-themed and/or deaf-produced productions, something seemed off with how the MC's vocalizations were portrayed. They didn't seem to have the same sound aspects that I am familiar with. I also initially thought the presence of the sounds were supposed to be indicative of him being comfortable with his friend, as he tended to be quiet in crowds. But then we get a scene towards the end that shows that's not necessarily the case - so then it felt like this aspect was being used to make a story statement, rather than reflecting the character. So I don't know if I can say that the representation is well-done, nor could I find anything/anyone elsewhere speaking to it either.
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