By Zoe Turner
Siri Rodnes’ surreal exploration of a child’s struggle with her deteriorating health is a playful and touching short film. Its viewer follows the girl, as she escapes from her condition into a world of make-believe.
During these fantasies of hers, the girl follows a big bad wolf type character who she is determined to one day defeat. These episodes of the girl’s imagination are delivered surprisingly well for rising talent with a lower budget, with carefully timed sound effects and lighting to create a mood of suspense. Her mother leaves her to keep inventing, whilst she goes to hospital to talk to someone about developments in her daughter’s treatment.
While her mother is away, the girl encounters her neighbour, a young man who is hiding from his father and chooses to slip through the window of her house. His visit sparks a friendship which revolves around clothing; the boy comments on the girl’s “gorgeous” dress, and he starts trying on her mother’s clothes for himself. This is assumed by the audience to be the reason the boy has been chased out of his own home, and so the film starts to reveal itself as a representation of young minorities.
When her mother returns with a wheelchair, the girl is distraught due to the seeming demoralisation. It is after this trigger that the girl finally braves the wolf in her imagination, chasing it until she reaches an imitation of her own bedroom. Through the window of this bedroom, she can see her real one, her mother sitting where she would usually sit, seemingly mourning her daughter.
Just as the viewer takes this to be an upsetting loss for the girl against the big, bad wolf, her illness, the scene switches to the girl recovering in a hospital bed, her mother reading back her own stories to her. We immediately experience a rush of relief and warmth, as we are reminded of the strength any young person battling against a perceived weakness carries inside them.
While the film might lack an entirely effective script, the cast work well with what they have been given, and the story is certainly an inventive interpretation of an individual’s unique issues that are all to be acknowledged.
Featured image: Gracie Hall Leeds Festival 2025 is one for the history books. Across three relentless days, Bramham Park transforms into a dust-choked, glitter-soaked arena where breakthrough acts collide with stadium giants and fans leave dusty, voiceless, and aching for more. This year’s lineup proves Leeds still thrives on extremes: chaos and calm, confetti and…
Featured image and gallery: Jack Oliver After eight packed out performances across Europe Kaytranada arrives at Co-Op Live for his largest show on the European leg of his ‘Timeless Tour’. The 23,000 capacity venue is filled with excited fans who eagerly anticipate the start of the show after energetic performances from Pomo, Lou Phelps and…
Featured image: Olivia Taberner and Adomas Lukas Petrauskas From Arc’teryx raincoats to mud-clogged Salomons, we explore how outdoor garments have evolved from fashion trends to functional wear – bringing together communities of young men in the process. What began as a Patagonia jacket and a sunrise ambition soon turned into getting “battered at 3am by…
Featured image: Yas Lucia Mascarenhas and Adomas Lukas Petrauskas Manchester’s inner-city neighbourhood of Moss Side is often portrayed in the media as a dangerous area, plagued by knife crime and shootings. However, one resident and Manchester Met student – Baka Bah – believes this one-sided story doesn’t reflect the true spirit of his community. While…
Leave a reply