(This is The Maid short film review, which is a short that explores a maid’s life that was published on Vimeo)
Being maids and servants in a rich household has always been about irony and contrast. They are the one that stands nearest to the lavish lifestyle that most wish for. And The Maid aims to explore that in their own style of storytelling.
It is directed by Rain Kencana and Kolja Brandt and produced by Manon Lemoine. The casts featured are Celine Yildirim and Paul Wollin. Now, let us get to The Maid short film review to see how well it does!
Premise
When a maid enters a room that is filled with luxurious items, she starts to imagine what her life would be if she is part of them. But will that illusion last?
The Maid Short Film Review
Premise
The story is a simple one where the maid gets into her own imagination that she is now the one living the lavish lifestyle. There are some great character transformation, and even mood changes halfway down, perhaps indicating the illusion at its peak. Nothing much to be said here as the story is not the main star of this short film.
I’m just quite curious of when the woman transform into a man, what could it mean? Is it a subtle hint to a double illusion? Where the man imagines himself as a maid who fantasises about living The lifestyle?
that’s perhaps due to the nature of this film itself – reality intertwines with illusion
Then there seems to be another hint at the end, when a siren is heard. Is it part of the soundtrack or perhaps alludes to something more? That the man breaks into the house and fantasises about it all by himself? Or a siren to wake him up to reality?
I must say I’m quite surprised and bewildered by the halfway transformation. Though I felt that it kind of fits the short film itself, and it might seem deeper than we thought. But for ordinary viewers, some of you will find this confusing. And that’s perhaps due to the nature of this film itself – reality intertwines with illusion.
Pacing
Pacing is great with things moving at an appropriate pace. There is no slowdown at all or any types of dragging. We are introduced to the character and she moves on to dream of living it the moment she drinks the wine.
Character
There are essentially two characters, but I will focus on just one here, which is the woman. She looks like a maid from the outside through and through. And this makes a great contrast with her later transformation to a wild one.
we can see the illusion is getting stronger, as her antics are getting wilder
Her transformation is, though not really gradual, happens at a believable rate. It starts from her trying out a shirt and then moving on to taking off her dress then taking picture with a polaroid. It is here that we can see the illusion is getting stronger, as her antics are getting wilder.
The middle end portion of when she wears the mask really changes it all. I’m not really convinced it’s for the better, but it does show that she truly is deep inside the mirage. Hiding behind the mask allows her to express her excitement better. It looks weird, but believable.
As for the man, I think that he is there for the final twist where we have always been seeing the illusion right from the start. He becomes the blurred line that represents reality yet also the one that creates the fantasy.
Both of the acting are alright, though I will give the actress a thumbs up for able to make her character gradual change not too drastic.
perhaps the director wants to create a bigger contrast that is more impactful
Soundtrack
The soundtrack only appears in the second half of the film. It sounds like those used in artistic film or in dance. While I feel that it can be too in-your-face and weird straight out of the box, it kind of goes along well with the scenes. I myself would opt for a more subtle approach, but perhaps the director wants to create a bigger contrast that is more impactful.
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