Sweet Nothings - Giles Ripley 2014 (Ella)

This film is about a mans girlfriend's daily love letters, which take an unexpected turn for the worse in this dark comedy with a sinister twist. 

Media Language

The film begins with an long shot of a man coming through his front door. He's wearing a suit, so the audience can presume he has a well paid job. He comes in and checks for messages on the phone. Here it cuts to a medium close up of the phone, suggesting that it is of some importance. The phone voice over announces no new messages. It then cuts to his face, his facial expression showing mild disappointment, as if he was anticipating something.

He picks up the post-it note and takes one off. It cuts to an over the shoulder shot of what it says. The handwriting is obviously female, and the gender of the non-diegetic voice over confirms this. It cuts to his face again and his facial expression shows he's happy and content. It fades to black, suggesting time passing and creating an ellipsis.

A long shot shows him returning home again and the same routine is showed; he comes in, shuts the door, puts his keys down and checks the phone. The audience can then suspect that he is obviously waiting for a specific call. He picks up the post-its again and the female non diegetic voice over reads it out; his facial expression happier.

The routine is showed for a third time, only this time he is holding a bunch of flowers. The lighting is very high key, which mirrors his mood and the atmosphere. He does the same thing only to stop at the post-it note. He drops the flowers and the non diegetic voice over speaks, an extreme close up confirming what she says.

He then picks up the phone and tries ringing someone several times. The handheld camera movement adds an unsteady atmosphere. There are a few edits to imply his distressed state, and his diegetic voice when he speaks is very shaky. It cuts to him sitting on the floor in despair and then to an extreme close up of his heartbroken face, his dialogue showing he is desperate for something
If fades to black and the off-screen diegetic sound of a doorbell can be heard.The next shot is a long shot of the man running to the door and opening it. He is in a desperate state and his facial expressions shows worry and despair. He quickly takes the box from the postman and shuts the door in his face, cutting off his dialogue. This shows that whatever he now has he must have it now.
He hurries to open the box, a closeup showing his shaking hands. His breathing is fast and uneven, and the handheld movement of the camera adds a lot of instability to the current situation, as if mirroring his turmoil and insanity.



He finally opens the box and takes out the package. An over the shoulder closeup reveals what it is, and the audience are in for a shock. He opens the kit and takes out the new pack of post-its. At this point, the audience is slowly realising what is going on and how this man lives his life.

The female non diegetic voice over returns, but as she speaks, her voice is warped and a second voice can be heard speaking with her. This new voice is clearly male that's imitating a woman's. As the man reads the notes, his happiness slowly descends into deep satisfaction and insanity shown through his facial expression.

He sits on the floor again and as the male voice over echoes the same words, the camera pans and tilts up to the right to reveal his fireplace covered in post-its. It stops on a picture frame and jump-cuts closer. On each jump-cut, there is a loud noise that enhances the shock effect of what is being shown, the music slowly building up to a crescendo. On the last one, it cuts to black, leaving the audience in complete shock

Genre

At first, it is unclear that this is a comedy. Using Steve Neale's theory of repetition and variation, this short film's genre can be identified.

• Beginning shows casual 'relationship' - nothing different about it
• Shows relationship is steady
• Apparent relationship doesn't end well - man breaks down
• Calls friend(?) - still not clear it's a comedy
• Package arrives - audience question what's going on
• Opens package - reveals plot twist
• Comedy element recognised - man acts as his girlfriend
• Slightly creepy - mental disorder?

It's only at the end it's seen as a comedy, because this man wants a girlfriend so badly he acts out one for himself.

However, amongst this, there is a darker side to it, as the man may have done this for so long that it has become part of his life. He stated that he 'can't live without her', even though there is no one to live without. He can't continue without making up a fake girlfriend, which in itself is quite sad.

Representation
What's represented in this short film is a number of things. One is gender and how it's communicated. The man is a stereotypical businessman; suit, briefcase, works every day etc. The female aspect of the film is similar, even though it isn't real; loving, stay-at-home type etc. 

Towards the end, when it is revealed that his relationship is fake, the man is seen dressed up as his 'girlfriend', which then introduces the representation of sexuality. Even though this man longs for a relationship with a woman, he has to make it up himself. This could suggest something about his sexuality and why he chooses to do it.