Silent Things

2. Short Film “Silent Things” – Representation – write an in depth analysis about the representation of disability.  Remember to consider the following :-

An extreme long shot introduces a male character flying a kite, the on screen diegetic sound of the sea and the wind sets the scene making it just as lonely as it looks because you can hear everything. In a POV shot the kite is shown looping and flying around the screen highlighting the dull coloured sky.

Two characters appear in a long shot, a male middle aged flying the kite and a female character around the same age next to him watching. She plays with her hands close to her face possibly showing a disability however at this point it is unclear, they stand in silence and do various tasks together with the kite. This hinting at the title ‘silent things’ the two characters have a connection however we do not know how it was formed.

The camera cuts to what is shown to be a new day in the same setting however it is just the male character alone in a long shot. A female character approaches him however it is not the one we saw before. At first they do not speak just watch the kite flying similar to the situation the day before. A group of people are shown in the background possibly friends of the female as they look roughly around her age but not close to the older male character’ age. The group begin shouting at them the only word clear enough to hear is ‘girlfriend’ to which the female character responds: ‘yeah he is my boyfriend…’ and continues to swear at them showing they are not her friends. The way she stands up for him shows a base for a friendship and connection between the two characters.

For a moment they remain silent until he speaks for the first time ‘why did you lie?’ this tells us that they are not in a relationship, as he asks her directly and follows with ‘what’s a white lie?’ in response and ‘I don’t tell lies, I can’t’ the way he speaks is fast as well as direct as though he does not process what he says. The female response to this as being ‘strange’ to which he informs her as well as the audience that he has ‘Asperger’s syndrome’ which involves delays in the development of many basic skills, most notably the ability to socialize with others, to communicate, and to use imagination. This explains the lack of talking and knowledge about white lies.

The female character from before is shown walking onto the beach in a medium shot looking around for the male character. She then slows down and in a POV we see her view of the male character sorting out his kite on the ground as the other female character stands next to him watching. In a medium close up of the male character and the younger female character we see her approach in the background, she talks directly to the male ‘who’s this’ he responds talking down and quietly ‘I met her this morning she is my friend’. The connection the two share may be through similar disabilities as she gets slightly defensive asking ‘how can she be your friend already…its not that simple’ this relates to her possibly having Asperger’s too because she seems to find it hard to understand friendship and socialising.

We can see the younger female is able bodied with no signs of mental problems as she doesn’t seem to recognise the other females intentions by saying in a harsh tone ‘I am still here you know’ the male character ignores the older female and she leaves.

The younger female and male sit on the beach looking out to the ocean, they exchange dialogue in a shot reverse shot sequence. They talk about ferries as the female is going to France on one that day and the male character shares his knowledge of them. She tells him to come with her and they speak about the possibility, a cut to a medium close up shows the other female character watching them, this shows she is wary of the other female (possibly jealous) and is looking out for the male.

On the ferry the male character looks uncomfortable and distressed; the sound is distorted and unclear. The female character tries to comfort him but he looks panicked raising his arms to get her off, and he catches attention from security. As they take him inside the ferry the female talks to one of the guards saying ‘this has nothing to do with me…I just met him and he wanted me to get on the ferry with him’ they stop and look at her, we know this is a lie and shows how she is taking advantage of his disability to get herself out of trouble.

The other woman is sitting on a bench waiting, off screen diegetic sirens are in the background. She gets up immediately as she sees the male character but an officer holds her back, they both look distressed but he resolves it with the officer and is allowed to leave but does not go to the female he looks back and they stare at each other before he turns and leaves. We see the younger female and when she sees the other female she looks sad and full of regret but the female ignores her and walks away.

We finally return to the beach, like the beginning the setting is dull and dark, he is alone this time sorting out his kite. The female walks over and kneels down to help him; we can see this is the same day due to the clothing. They fly the kite and are peaceful.

This short film positively represents those with a disability because it shows how others stick together however it is a negative representation of those able bodied as they do not understand and therefore take advantage. I think this short film is to show able bodied people that those with disabilities can struggle in certain situations and you should be aware of this.