The Slap

 The Slap is a short film about identity, freedom and feeling trapped in your body. It follows a teenage boy named Connor, who secretly enjoys wearing makeup and feminine clothing. It was extremely moving, I think the performance stood out to me in terms of micro-elements, however it had a clear sense of location and use of symbolic mise-en-scene. For example, the motifs of broken mirrors representing reflections of a fragmented and confused identity and makeup as device of transformation and expression. In these images, the film did an excellent job in 'show don't tell', exploring themes through physical images rather than showing them through dialogue. The setting of a working-class northern English town was very important, as it is a culture of an environment where masculinity is at the heart of family values, where men are expected to conform to very traditional views on gender.

 Aesthetically, location is also communicated through cinematography and use of colour in mise-en-scene, it is gloomy and grey, juxtaposing with the colour that makeup and dressup brings to Connor's life. Cinematography is  focused and located with Connor, we're put into his experience makes him feel isolated, makes him feel watched and under the spotlight- lots of over the shoulder shots which create a sense of being watched, colour and lighting is realistic however expressionistic, blue of the environment with blue filter, red and black party, tension and anger. The use of colour in the lighting of mise-en-scene and cinematography is expressionistic, with colour in a scene being symbolically parallel to Connor's emotions, for example the use of red lighting, and red and black mise en scene at the party mirrors the tension which is built to a brink in the scene and turns into anger.

The performance of Connor was incredibly truthful in depicting the feelings of confusion, as we are put in the same shoes as him, not knowing what he will say or do next, accurately portraying feelings of entrapment in this hypermasculine environment, and feeling completely alone. The film demands the ability of an actor to explore the confusion of this character and the parts of his identity he feels he has to hide, resulting in feelings of anger and loneliness. 

My favourite scene of the film was the confrontation between Connor and Lola, I thought that the writing was effective in communicating the true feelings of the characters but through subtext rather than clunky dialogue. The subtext runs through the dialogue surrounding her anger at him stealing her expensive makeup and finally reaches a peak when she condemns him and calls him slurs, and he is ultimately humiliated. The lack of clarity for Connor himself means that he cannot describe how he feels, often denying accusations, which we don't even know are true or not.

Overall, I thought this film was very compelling in it's performances. The use of micro-elements helped to enhance the performances and create sympathy toward the character of Connor. I am inspired by the writing, in it's ability to communicate character's emotions through physical actions or small moments of dialogue which often mask inner turmoil.