Over

 Short Film Research – Over (2015)

This film is fascinating for one main reason: the decision to keep the plot of the film obscured until the final few heart-breaking moments. Once revealed, you realise this film displays a reconstruction of the story of a man from Angola who had stowed away within airplane landing gear, unfortunately and tragically falling out onto a neighbourhood once the gear lowered for landing.

The reverse chronology keeps the audience active in their viewership, as they have to piece together what little information, they’re given to establish the plot for themselves. For example, the film opens with flowers and blood being cleaned from the streets, thus the audience concludes a death, but not one so brutal. The cinematography is often static and positions the viewer at a distance, once more making the audience debate what they’re seeing and the significance of it, the only close-ups being to clue the audience in that a death has occurred. The infrequent edits and terrifying silence result in confusion and dread being built for the audience, with the performances being deliberately limited to prevent further information being given, the dialogue frequently being barely audible.

The subtle political statement of the film is exemplified by the ignorance of passers-by. Following the man falling to his death after trying to enter the country, joggers’ jog past the scene without checking it out further. We’re also given a few close-ups of evidence bags, showing foreign currency and pictures of the man and his family. The man becomes humanised but is also left invisible in the eyes of the suburban population, displaying the general attitude towards refugees that now permeates Western society.

The main thing I want to take away from this film is the ways in which it plays with chronology. While some information (such as the time of events) is given to the audience, it isn’t until the end that we realise that the film is told in reverse. Playing with narrative structure is brilliant when done well, and so if I can accomplish that in my own film, I’ll be immensely happy.