strangers

i was looking through the long list of short films on youtube and found this. the film is entitled strangers and felt it was relevant to my own short.

the film does not use dialogue, it does not require it. narrative is shown through facial expression and movement from the actors. for the initial interaction between the protagonists back to back shots are used with closeups on the characters, allowing their smallest change if expression to be seen and understood to its fullest potential

the camera remains stationary for most of the film. besides the shots on the moving train, where the camera is shakings slightly, the camera remains very steady, including the few panning shots it utilises. closeups on the protagonists allows us to concentrate more on their reactions and motives, something especially vital in a film with no dialogue.

it appears to use natural lighting which i personally feel adds to the drama and authentic feel of the film.

it shows a plot we have seen recycled a hundred times over in film. the two protagonists do not trust each other, but ultimately unite against a common foe.

this film creates great misen sen. the jewish protagonist is shown to be jewish through use of a star of david necklace and his hebrew ring tone. likewise we see the arab protagonist as such by the newspaper he is reading being in arabic.