Many Faces

A man constantly tries to get in touch with a woman via mobile phone.

With a duration of less then two minutes, this very short drama focuses on a woman (Monte), as she repeatedly ignores the attention of a guy named Jake. The entire narrative takes place inside the woman's home and she is the only one who is seen in person. Basically, throughout the film, she receives text messages from Jake while doing a variety of things, including making herself a drink, watching television or cooking. And after reading the messages, she either replies with a no-thank-you answer or ignores the message completely. Although the majority of the story appears to be about wanting privacy and to be left alone, the dramatic ending changes things upside down.

The narrative is constructed in such a way that makes the viewer oblivious to a very serious situation, instead making them believe that this film is a commentary on how annoying mobile phones can be, that is, until the final scene. The film appears to point out the importance of reaching out to people and that sometimes it is not very apparent that someone is suffering.

There is no music, there are no spoken words and the communication is done solely through text messaging, creating a quiet atmosphere. The sounds that stand out are the notifications that a text message has either been sent or received, speaking of which, credit goes to the creativity that was done for the messages that appear in bubbles on screen, beside the character.

Operating almost like an advertisement, this short manages to raise awareness of mental health and suicide prevention and seems to suggest that when a person is constantly trying to communicate with someone, it could mean that they are seeking support. With all this in mind, this film deserves recognition.