The Power of Silence

I was browsing the internet the other day looking for a good short-film to watch, and I stumbled upon this one, produced by a company in Thailand called TrueMoveH:

The description of the film is in Thai, and the only word that is in english is the simple word, "giving". However, the premise of the film is easily understood. It follows a young boy who steals medication for his dying mother. When he is caught, a local merchant pays for the meds and gives him a bowl of vegetable soup. Thirty years later, the soup merchant has an accident, and his young daughter is left inundated with medical bills that she simply can't pay. However, the doctor turns out to be the very boy who stole medicine thirty years prior, and waives the medical fees. 

To be brutally honest, this film presents a pretty commonplace and predictable story. I'm not trying to be reductive, it's just the way things work. Everything is based off of something. If this film holds any merit, which it does, it stems from its presentation and not from its storyline. A majority of the driving force of the video derives from the artistic choice not to include dialogue, save the background information at the beginning. 

Although I'm a fan of powerful dialogue, I've always been under the impression that being going without it adds a considerable amount of depth. Perhaps that's why I liked Drive so much. The Driver's silence help develop the story, not inhibit it. The same applies to the first few minutes of UP. I would argue that that may very well be one of the most beautiful eight minutes of film-making, and it is almost completely devoid of dialogue. 

For this short-film, the choice to not have dialogue makes it more inclusive. It forces the viewer to feel and not just watch and listen. It beautifully guides the viewer toward closer observation of the characters and their situation, and eventually toward empathy. The viewer knows that the doctor is probably the kid from the beginning, but the scene where the daughter reads the revised medical bill is still emotional all the same. When films are crafted so beautifully, their message hits you in the gut, and hopefully bears some practical application to everyday life. This one certainly does.

Nicolas Winding Refn

This week, I watched Drive (2011) and Bronson (2008) back to back. Both movies are directed by Refn and feature unusual stylistic lighting, cinematography, and music. Drive, starring Ryan Gosling, is about a Hollywood stunt driver that supplies a getaway car for criminals as long as they pull off their scheme in five minutes with one minute extra and no exceptions. The main character, who is nameless, gets involved with a woman and the mafia. Honestly, Drive is the best movie I've seen in a while. Every shot, Refn uses pink, blue, and yellow lighting somehow and it creates a retro feel that goes with the music. The soundtrack includes modern music that is electronic and reminiscent of 1980s music. Gosling probably has about twelve lines throughout the whole movie but Refn uses music to drive the narrative (no pun intended).
 Bronson, starring Tom Hardy, is similar to Drive in its style. Once again, pink, blue, and yellow lighting can be found in every scene. The story is about Charlie Bronson, Britain's most dangerous inmate. The movie is extremely unusual and it is hard to explain, so just watch it. The music doesn't quite fit with the scenes but at the same time, it works perfectly. Refn uses music that doesn't seem to fit but in a strange way, it works perfectly. I suggest you watch both of these movies. Once you do, you will understand what I mean about the music.