True Colours

The title of the short film- "True colours" has connotations of originality, staying true to self, and respecting the diverse cultures. The white font used for the name of the film symbolizes innocence, purity, and peace. The white colour also signifies a clean slate over which factors like culture, family background work to develop our personalities later in life. The director Milda Baginskaite and writer Suman Hanif like to tell stories about themes like identity, culture, and coming of age. The film is set in the local community to instill a sense of realism in the narrative of the cinematic piece. The casting of the two female protagonists and the supporting actors has been aptly done as per the storyline of the short film. The editor/colourist of the film Andrew MCKEE BFE works on the colour palette of the film to keep it natural. Editing of the film helps the movie to be embedded beautifully so that the parallel plots do not hinder the smooth flow of the storyline.

The basic premise of this short film revolves around two teenagers namely Ayesha and Chloe who are neighbours but each of them belongs to very different cultures and lifestyles. Both these young women want to break free from the boundaries created by their respective families and discover their personalities. Will they be able to achieve this goal is the question the movie raises?

The music composer of the film Ben Stanbridge gives a soft tune along with the birds chirping in the opening sequence of the film where the makers are trying to establish the cinematic piece and also showcasing the fact that the two ladies are trying to be relevant in their virtual lives on Instagram while struggling with fitting in the real world. The costume designer Sally Hodgson along with Marlena Stencel (Makeup and Hair- stylist) has done a brilliant job to research two cultures and designing the costumes as per the demand of the script. The cinematographer Hamish Saks captures the mood and cultural differences of the film so effectively making the cinematic piece relatable for its target audience.

True colours highlight a modern take on the unrealistic beauty standards that exist with the right mix of conflict, drama, and comedy in the story to keep it light for the audience and assist in absorbing the key message the film is trying to deliver to the viewers. The script of this cinematic piece is the strongest point as it grips the audience up until the end and it forces the viewers to think about the issues addressed in the movie for a while after watching the short film.

Women coming up with a female-centric narrative build an emotional connection with the viewers at a different level altogether. The ladies can bring out certain nuances of the female characters which could enhance the performance of the actors in the film. This cinematic piece was equally appreciated among the audience as well as the film critics.