Once upon a time crow was a colourful stunning bird. His beauty knew no boundaries. But the crow was unaware of his looks. His only friend was his shadow,until the day came when the world discovered his sublime form and started worshiping him. crow then became famous and he liked it. He fell in love with his own colourful attire.so much that he forgot his own shadow. As the time passed people got used to the crow and eventually forgot him. Famous crow then lost his charm and became very lonely. His colours stopped shining. Crow then remembered his shadow and went looking for it. He searched every where but never found it. He did not give up though. The more he searched he realised the shadow had never left him,it had gotten lost in his colours. Slowly one by one all his colours wore off and he became black. Some say that was the day his shadow came back to him, some say his shadow never came back to him so he himself turned into one, but till date no one knows if the real crow is his shadow or if the shadow is his actual self.
As a kid this was my bed time story, this is where my fascination for shadows first originated. As I grew up it became denser.
Physical description of a shadow limits itself as a darker body produced by light, If gone deeper shadows for me is the counterpart of a being. Our shadows symbolise our subconscious and hidden desires we ourselves are unaware of.
My diploma project is short fiction film about a girl who's hunger produces a shadow that starts eating everything. In short the synopsis of the story is,
A 22 year old girl lives with her room mate. In order to stay thin she throws up anything and everything she consumes. Her room mate is addicted to the television. She never steps out of the house. Both the girls are in a constant state of hunger. Protagonist's hunger comes from lack of food and low self esteem and for her room mate it is in the form of a virtual lifestyle. Protagonist's hunger produces a shadow that starts consuming everything around her. Her habit forces her to throw up everything shadow consumes.Initially protagonist tries to control and avoid the shadow but soon the shadow becomes stronger and the situation goes out of her control. Ultimately she is forced to face her hunger, in order to get rid the shadow.
'It is the face of our own shadow that glowers at us across the Iron Curtain.' stated swiss psychologist Carl Yung once. My project comes from a very personal space. It originates from the kind of lifestyle i live and constantly observe around me. The shadow in this film is my personal take on consumption. Today as I live life, at its every step I am forced to make choices. From buying a soap wash to applying for higher education I am constantly offered uncountable options and I am asked to make the choice but occasionally I get confused and most of the times even after making the 'right' choice I still feel unsatisfied. The 'other option' always seems better.
Shadow in my film deals with this hunger that has no end. The protagonist in the film lets the consumerist industry make all her choices. Her shadow represents a part of her that has been disregarded and repressed for a long time. Apart from the shadow and the girl another important character in the film is the room mate who is addicted to television.TV is a byproduct of the same consumerist industry the protagonist belongs to. TV is the root cause for the industry to expand so vast so fast. TV addiction has made her (room mate's) life extremely passive and vicarious. There is no difference between herself, her life and television. Her passiveness has lead her to a stage where she is not aware of her shadow that is her own existence.
I have been addicted to television and I have seen a lot of people from all age groups addicted to it. It bothers me and I feel the need to counter question it.
Everything in the film ultimately comes down to making a choice. Protagonist has to make a choice whether to let the shadow take over her life or to take control of her own existence. The room mate has to make a choice whether to continue living a virtual life or step out and experience it for real.
This film is my way of dealing with having to face a new choice relentlessly. Everyday.
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