Decoy

A short drama written and directed by Sarah Nocquest and starring Lia Williams and Heloise Lowenthal.

An award ceremony is taking place at a venue and a seasoned acclaimed actress (Williams) has just won an award for a performance. After having given her acceptance speech, she retires to the women's room, with her award. While sitting in a toilet stall, wearing a fancy red dress and seemingly having thoughtful moments, a woman (Lowenthal) exits through another stall and notices the award that left on one of the sinks. Soon, the two of them end up engaging in a meaningful conversation that makes the actress reflect on her profession.

The screenplay has an interesting way of telling a dramatic story that takes place during an awkward encounter, 'awkward' meaning that the two characters never meet face-to-face and talk to each other through the toilet stall's door. Shooting took place in the King's Head Theatre in London and the way it was filmed was quite creative: the film has a duration of four and a half minutes and approximately four of them make up one long take, with the camera focusing on Williams' character as she speaks with the other woman who claims to be a fan. The fan is never seen on-screen, her voice been the only element that signifies her presence. The fact that the actress is the only person seen in the film and that she is in an (sort of) isolated place gives the impression that (for a certain amount of time at least) she is alone in the world. There is no music and it was probably not required anyway for the film to have an effect.

Williams (a great performance) portrays a person who is successful externally, in the public eye, however, she does not seem to be successful internally, meaning that she is not content with her achievements and the fact that the award she was given is actually a decoy could represent the fact that her accolades do not mean anything special to her. Interestingly, though, it is strongly indicated that that might not be the case after all. At the end of the day, it appears that the actress does not fully understand herself as a person, what she really wants. As mentioned, Lowenthal's character is visually absent and she is convincing as an enthusiastic fan of the actress.

Regarding the themes, to begin with, this short provides an insight regarding life working in the acting industry and the concept of being a fan. From a different perspective, the story is about self-reflection, about someone trying to understand who they are.

This short focuses on an actress who seems to be struggling to comprehend her life and an encounter that ends up having a dramatic impact on her. Williams adds a lot of value with her strong acting and the screenplay creates a thoughtful viewing experience.