This was another short film shown to us on Thursday and it blew me away. Firstly, the low usage of dialogue given how much you infer about the character without it is incredible. The movements of the actress are very telling about the protagonist in the absence of speech and the entire film gives the feeling of escapism. In fact, the underwater shots (one of which is seen below) are a huge part of this escapism; the lighting is brighter underwater and the bubbles that are on-screen do much to enhance a day-dream like feel.
During the scene where the protagonist is stood on the top diving board, certain diegetic noises are brought into focus which shows the fear and intensity the protagonist is feeling whilst stood there. Each noise makes the viewer acutely aware of the surroundings and makes the atmosphere on that ledge claustrophobic despite the open space we're seeing when we look at the surrounding pool. The camera work compliments this feeling with close-ups of the girls face juxtaposed with the space all around her as seen below. All of this builds so that when the girl takes a breath and all of this noise is shuttered out, even for just the moment she is holding her breath, the viewer feels the intensity release for a moment of relief before it all comes back when she lets go.
In the sequence where the protagonist enters the changing room, sound is used very carefully. The noise of the hair dryer and baby, alongside the incessant talking from the two women creates the feeling of not being able to escape and so when she holds her breath again, we get another sense of relief. I think if i were to pick fault from this film, the shot where you see the girl floating with her hair over her face in the mirror would be where I would look. To me, it feels as if it belongs to another genre and that it doesn't particularly fit in with the feeling of relief that is being created.
Non-diegetic music is used sparingly, so when it is used in the ending sequence where the girl is underwater with the two swimmers, it creates a happy atmosphere and the sense that the protagonist has finally found a way to escape her fears and the world around her. I commend the director for holding the music back until this moment as it makes it more momentous to a viewer and it's calming tones make us feel that the protagonist has found a peaceful moment.
Overall, I think this film is very well considered and realised as it creates the sense of a character through no speech from the protagonist and uses sound really carefully to build atmosphere, tension and feeling within the character that the audience can pick up on.
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