Shelf

As a huge proponent of the no-dialogue (or minimal dialogue) short film, the new Don Warrington-starring picture Shelf proved to be delightfully entertaining. Director Lawrence Rowe takes an intelligent, elemental approach to the story – allowing the film’s singular subject and concept to drive the plot organically. Cinema, as we all know, is a visual medium. So, when you’re producing a piece under ten minutes long, the less talky and the more visual, the better. This short is fully aware of this, and uses its performer and its craft to tell a simple, sentimental narrative. We follow Grant, a lonely man in his home who’s frustrated by the ticking of his living room clock on the mantle-piece. As the plot progresses, Grant becomes dedicated to making a replacement, fully-functioning shelf. What’s important, however, is the emotional subtext at play: our protagonist’s deeper sadness at the loss of his wife. It’s a sweet, well-measured little movie.

Let’s start by discussing Don Warrington, the star of the film (and an actor I know best for being the commissioner in the BBC show Death in Paradise). All of the drama, emotion, and really plot progression hangs on his facial expression. Therefore, you’ll be glad to know that the man knows how to hold your attention, and understands fully how his behaviour plays on camera. It’s also just wonderful to see an established performer in a smaller, independent art project; the backing and support of a star can really put strong work like this in the public eye, and allow a greater audience to experience the craft that was always there. Another important thing to note about this central performance, is that one can tell it’s been well directed. When working with minimal dialogue, ideas need to be delivered through fragmented moments of physicality and semiotics – how our protagonist sighs in one shot, leading to an expression of resilience in the next. Shelf manages to deliver all these little behavioural moments because the filmmaker knows clearly how one image (or expression) will relate to the next.

The tight editing also plays a huge role in the success of this approach. Without the punchy rhythm and emotionally motivated cutting, the piece would not be nearly as successful as it is. By ‘emotionally motivated’, I’m speaking in reference to how the pace will slow appropriately during moments of the character’s reflection or contemplation, and then quicken once he finds his flow. Through all this, the audience is free to take in some really pleasant shots and carefully arranged compositions. In terms of the cinematography, the use of both natural light and artificial light in particular demonstrates a high level of skill – one shot sees a light spilling through the windows, casting its golden colour onto the area of the wall on which the shelf is to be fitted. It’s pleasing filmmaking, to say the least. The film grabs us emotionally and continues to sustain us through its efficient, minimalistic storytelling and light touch. It goes without saying that I would recommend this work to those looking for some short, heartfelt cinema.