IDENTITY - SHORT FILM ANALYSIS By Sarah Ghile

The opening line to the short film is “Today, I found the truth.”, and is done as a voice over. This intrigues the audience in finding out what this truth may be and what epiphany she comes to. The short film begins in reverse. The girl in the mask begins unmasked, but then the clip is reversed and the audience see her put the mask back on and go back in the direction from which she came. The sound affects used during this reversal is sharp, and sinister, extenuating the seriousness provoked by the opening line.

The film begins in chronological order, when the mysterious girl is sat at table. Here we can see that she is at school and judging by herself and her peers: a high school. She sits alone as a number of people walk past her [and the camera]. She is ignored and isolated, suggested she is an outcast, a lonely character.

Here, we find the mystery girl in a classroom. The key focus point here is the content the teacher is delivering to the class. The words “Plato’s Allegory of the Cave” are written on the board and the teacher goes on to talk about it. In Plato’s allegory, he talks about human beings living in cave all there life, lived in such a way that they cannot move their bodies and all they can see in front of them is a dark wall. They have never been outside of this cave all they know about life is this dark wall. However one day a slave is released and he discovers a whole new world outside of this cave and because he is now the enlightened one his job is to come and free those that are still trapped in this cave. While the teacher explains this, the girl plays little attention, flicking through the pages of her book [filled with intricate drawings], it is not until the teacher says “because he is now the enlightened one his job is to come and free those that are still trapped in this cave.” This suggest that the girl resented with these words and feels a sense of enlightened. At this point she tilts her head up and the camera zooms into her, the score music is suspenseful and tension building, implying to the audience that she will somehow be the enlightener.

It is from the classroom scene, that we can clearly see everyone around here is also wearing a mask. It is made apparent that in this world: everyone is wearing a mask. Generically a mask connotes a disguises of ones true identity, perhaps as fear of rejection that ones true self would not suffice, or in hopes to ‘fit in’ to societies expectations.

As the girl walks through the corridors, she see’s this poster. This suggests that this world in which everyone wears a mask, is an analogy for our own as it represents societies social implications of what ‘beauty’ is as is interjected though media. Often what it is deemed beautiful is very particular and specific, a look that is often unobtainable for the majority of people. This is suggested in the poster as it writes this is what beautiful looks like: suggesting there is a singular transcript of beautiful. This implication can be seen as damaging and negative as it is likely to make the constrains of society feel inadequate.

The mystery girl walks through the corridor, observing her peers. She see’s the people divide into their ‘cliques’ and notices a series of notable events. This reinforces the connation that she is the enlightened one, as whilst everyone is absorbed by there own doings, she see’s what everyone else misses.

An interesting element of this short film, is this scene where the girl in a purple mask, takes off her mask in place for another one as she goes to talk to a group of people. It suggests she literary takes off one face, and applies another. The girl a has need to modify herself, her personality dependant on who she is talking to. This implies insecurity, a low self esteem, and a need for acceptance.

The following scene, returns to her sat at the cafeteria table alone. She looks around at her peers, sat in groups, each group wearing the same coloured mask; suggesting they are similar and belonging of each other; or perhaps a lack of individuality.

The mystery girls mask is unique, different to everyone else’s suggesting a sense of individuality and uniqueness to her. It further supports the impactions of her being the enlightened one of them all as she stands out. Here, as she sits in the cafeteria [as she was in the beginning of the short film] she is again watching everyone around here. The sounds of there discussions and laughter fade to a low murmur in the background but all collide together creating a sense of distortion and drowning. At this point, the story has turned full circle. The score music becomes up-tempo suggesting she is to fulfil her sense of enlightenment with action.

We find here in the same position as she had began, staring at herself in the mirror, with a broken mask. The broken mask suggests her disguise is crumbling and her true identity is breaking through. She is clearly disturbed by this as reinforced by the shaking of the camera and the dramatic score music.

The mystery girl, takes off her mask, revealing her face, smiling proudly at her reflection. This is implied to be a important act as no one else is seen without a mask and the build up in her taking the mask off was slow and emotional. It follows with a voice over saying “Today the truth found me.” This suggests the mask was a lie, and now her truth, is revealed bare to the world.

The girl walks out into her school, for everyone to see. As she passes, every head turns, connoting the magnitude and daringness of her removal of her mask. It is also exhibits her as the enlightened one, as the audience see her act, as an act of bravery and heroism, others in the film see it as absorbed and outrageous.