Graffiti

The short film Graffiti displays a man who has been stuck for many years alone in an abandoned area contaminated with radioactivity. Lluís Quílez gives us very little information about the reasons behind the man's situation. The man is alone and has somehow managed to survive for seven years on limited resources. I really enjoyed the setting as it is based in Chernobyl and it is chilling to see it in modern times. The camera crew and the actors had to potentially expose themselves to radioactivity to film this which creates a real sense of danger especially those who are educated on the nuclear accident.

In the film, it seems this place can make you sick but it is never explained what the sickness does or why there is a reason to fear it. I am personally not a fan of the lack of clarification cause I found myself thinking about these questions and it kind of took me away from what was happening on the screen.

The wide shots used to display many shots throughout this film serves to encompass a sense of isolation and seclusion. This shot is used in the opening scenes where the man is seen pleasuring himself to a faded billboard showing a woman's legs in pantyhose. I think that the fact that this billboard only shows a woman's legs leaving out a face really displays the man's desire for anything even remotely womanly or romantic. When the word ANNA appears in graffiti on a wall, he is so willing to make sacrifices for this person and is so desperate to meet her that he doesn't stop to think about how he really knows nothing about this person. She has no face just like the billboard. The question arises of what if this person isn't who he is romanticizing in his mind. Would he still have the same desire to sacrifice things for her? Would he begin to regret past decisions?

As the conversation written in graffiti between the two continues it becomes very ambiguous of if this person really exists. At times it seems like surely she exists and other times things begin to feel a little off. I really like the sense of mystery and tension that builds as the story progresses and the desire to know the truth.

Nearing the end things start to lose clarification and become very ambiguous. I like very plot based stories that end with all loose ends tied up into a little bow. This story didn't do that for me. I was left with many questions. I think this film would be a good fit for someone who likes to use their imagination and explore many different ideas. Personally my brain hurt from thinking of all the unanswered questions at the end so it wasn't a good fit for me although I do think there is a certain audience for this type of film. That being said I would still recommend this film as it kept me entertained and I enjoyed it for the most part.

This is my first review ever, but I just had to say this is what film making should look like. This is what it is supposed to be and what was intended for. I just have to compliment this hoping that it will encourage other projects like this.

I have to admit that I watched this by accident when my infant daughter was playing with the remote and stopped at the beginning of this film. She must have been enchanted by the music score which is absolutely beautiful. I stopped what I was doing, feeling drawn to it, just like she did. I was hung to my chair and watched filled with hope and compassion for the protagonist, made me also think about all the harm that we are doing to our planet and that this scenario could be real some day, what a dreadful thought that was.. But mostly it moved me. Touched me deeply.

The scenery and music are stunning. The acting is powerful, it really is considering that the actor had almost no lines whatsoever, no interactions at all, and with his deep eyes and that sweet little dog managed to speak volumes on humanity's nature. My compliments to all those who made this happen. Thank you.

Shock, Awe, Amazement, and Hope colored Edgar's face as he stared at four simple letters. ANNA. Adrenaline courses through his body as he excitedly rushes over to the wall to write his own name. Graffiti is a beautiful short film that encapsulates the beauty in chaos. This film features a man named Edgar living in the chaotic wasteland of Chernobyl seven years after the nuclear tragedy that claimed thousands of lives. The film displays a conversation made through graffiti on a wall between the protagonist Edgar and an unknown woman known to be Anne, and demonstrates the beauty in a simple series of messages. This film proves how important companionship is to human beings, and how being left alone can cause one to lose their sanity.

Released in 2015, this film was one of the first to actually be shot in the wasteland of Chernobyl. After testing for radiation in certain locations, they found a few areas where filming was safe enough. Being in the actual setting itself really enhances the effect of the horror in being the only one. This film won 16 awards, and was nominated for 3 others, with notable ones being the Filmmaker international film festival (2016) and the Best Shorts Competition (2016).

This film pulls readers in through the unusual setting, as well as the eerie silence of being alone. The pure simplistic beauty of a graffiti conversation, and the grand reveal of the wall covered in graffiti is extraordinary, and juxtaposes the feeling of loneliness with connection to another. It is a film that is relatable, and gives viewers a longing feeling of missing their loved ones. Most importantly, it teaches us to not take the ones we love for granted. On the contrary, this film has a few holes that leave viewers with questions. It is very implausible that Edgar was able to survive out in a radiated filled wasteland for 7 years, especially with the lack of edible, non-contaminated food. However, the positives heavily outweigh the missing questions and links, and makes this film well worth a watch for anyone that places large emphasis on companionship.

A radiated and disaster-ridden city filled with tranquility and quietude? After watching the film, you can easily observe into the directors mind of genius and prowess.

The not so short film, "Graffiti" explores a post apocalyptic setting surrounding the tragedy that occurred at Chernobyl in 1986. "7 years after the incident," an abandoned Edgar and his dog tramp through the harsh winter snow searching for, and marking radiated areas of the city using what is known as a Geiger counter. After another average day of using graffiti to mark the walls, Edgar goes home to make the discovery of a name written on his wall, "Anna," which tumbles Edgars life into a hole of difficult decisions.

Mixing a tragedy and love story into one in an art form such as this will always remind me of William Shakespeare's work, and it seems that this short film also follows his original formatting as well. Going from barely knowing each other to making sacrifices for the other person in a matter of weeks is not the most realistic circumstance, but it is unbelievably fascinating mostly because of how unrealistic the circumstances are. Director Lluis Quilez mentioned in an interview that he wanted the storyline to be based around the, "long tradition of love stories that have grown through long distance letters or messages," which he mentioned in an interview. This furthers my ideas of him following "tradition" and using the most common formatting for love stories which I honestly think is smart, because if anything traditional love stories are the easiest to follow in today's society because us as humans see them everywhere. Mixing the idea of this familiarity of traditional love with the unfamiliarity of disaster is what makes this short film so well executed.

Tying back into the main theme of tragic love, I realized that I enjoy this film mostly for the silence and suspense that they built and how it always had me wondering, "what's going to happen next?" I also can appreciate how the title is a bit of an oxymoron when compared to the silence of the film, considering that graffiti spraying is some of the loudest sound to happen in this film overall. Additionally it is interesting that the winter setting predetermined placidity in the opening scenes even before we met our main character, which is fitting considering that winter is a symbol for darkness and the death of an era which ties back to the original theme of tragedy. These are a few of the many reasons and hidden devices they use to further explore the theme and keep the viewers of the film encapsulated.

There isn't much criticism I have about the film, but the only thing I would like to mention is the ambiguity of the ending. Leaving it on a cliffhanger and not ending this (long) short story on a specific conclusion, whether happy or sad, doesn't give the viewer enough satisfaction in myself and many others cases and just isn't a great way to cut the story off. I do understand wanting to leave the interpretation of if Anna is real or not up to the viewer, but after watching for thirty minutes, I believe that they already left enough time for this idea to be interpreted and that they could have ended the story with the truth.

The short film Graffiti takes us on a journey through the life of a young man named Edgar who is left alone, hopeless in a city evacuated due to a tragic accident. The viewers have no background information about the man or the city other than the fact that "the incident" occurred 7 years ago. Edgar was somehow left behind and is now alone in the unknown city with only his Dog keeping him company. We also see that during the day he goes out into the city to search for things he can take home with him like books and resources such as canned foods and water. As he walks through the town, he also carries a radiation detector and spray paint when he enters buildings, and marks an asterix where it is contaminated and an O where it is safe. One day he comes home, and finds "ANNA" spray painted on one of his walls. At first he was startled, but then he realized that the name meant that he isn't in this city alone. From there on out Edgar and Anna start communicating through the wall, but Edgar never sees Anna.

In my opinion, the film Graffiti was very well done. Everything from the somber lighting and isolated wide shots to the insight into Edgar's life through experiencing it with him, was executed tastefully and with purpose. With every new shot and scene there were endless symbols left for analysis by the director. Even what seemed to be small details such as gloomy trees in the background were carefully articulated. Right from the beginning of the film they were obstructing the environment around them and drew attention to themselves by how much of the shot they took up in multiple scenes. In my mind, they also served as a symbol. Trees usually symbolize life and growth whereas in the film they all seem dead in a place of decay and destruction. It shows a juxtaposed meaning with not only the trees but the city, as a symbol of something that once thrived and held life which is now left deserted and forgotten.

Another notable thing to mention was the fact that almost everything in the film was left to the viewer's interpretation, which was very clearly made to do so. The director meant to make a very observable film to grab a viewer's attention by using suspense and making them think on every detail they otherwise wouldn't look twice at. Such as Edgar's relationship with Anna. From the start we know that Edgar is lacking a companion in his life, so when he starts communicating with Anna he starts to gain hope in what he thought was a hopeless, lonely world. Things seemed to be looking up for him, Anna seemed to help him survive. But as the film progresses, the possibility of Anna being real decreases and the likelihood that Edgar is imagining her as a coping mechanism increases. It puts the viewer at a crossroads on what to believe. It makes you look at everything and analyze it, looking for anything that hints at what's really happening. There was never a definitive answer on the reality of the events, only symbols and hidden meaning with which viewers could choose to piece together to form a conclusive ending. That's what I found so interesting about the way Graffiti was made, every individual watching has their own experiences and thoughts which they use to form a view of the film. Every person's interpretation will be different, and therefore the plot of the film has endless ways of unraveling.

Graffiti was filmed in Chernobyl which I find very significant to the film and the tone that it's set in. The Chernobyl disaster took place in 1986 in the town of Pripyat, found in northern Ukraine. It was a nuclear tragedy which left nearly 14,000 people evacuating their homes and leaving everything behind out of fear of their belongings being contaminated by radiation. The tragedy, along with the fact that nearly everything was left as is, sets a very eerie setting for the film and establishes a sense of mystery while invoking feeling in viewers.

Lluis Quilez, the director of the short film Graffiti stated in an interview that his intent with the film was to "talk about the Platonic or idealized love for someone whom you can not see". I think that he achieved this beautifully. His universalized ideas and concepts reiterate this idea of love with a hidden person by taking viewers through the intriguing love story of Edgar and Anna. In the film, when Edgar started communicating with Anna through graffiti on the wall, I immediately thought of technology and social media. Currently, almost everyone communicates through the internet in one way or another. There are countless dating apps, websites, and social media outlets out there which are used daily by the majority of the world's population. So many people meet and in some cases fall in love over texting online, and like Edgar with the graffiti, oftentimes it is mainly through a barrier. Whether it be a screen or a wall, you have no idea who is on the other side. It can be who you think it is but it can also be someone completely different from what you thought. This furthers the idea of idealized love established by Quilez where an individual falls in love with someone who they don't truly know. On one hand it shows that love is border-less and possible even when you don't fully know a person, but on the other hand, not entirely knowing who you are communicating with can be a disappointment when you uncover the reality.

I would highly recommend this film to mystery lovers and people who enjoy analysis, because within the short 30 minutes in which this film takes place, there is so much to unpack and think about. The entire plot and especially the ending is inconclusive, there is no definitive answer for anything which means you get to analyze and interpret the film and it's ending as you see fit. Even though I love this film, I understand why others wouldn't. A lot of people like to know what's happening during a film and have a happy, or at least conclusive ending, but the ending of Graffiti ends with an unbelievable cliffhanger that leaves you at the edge of your seat. The film also has a mysterious feel to it which some viewers who prefer happier films may not like as it leaves you with an eerie feeling and uncertainty.