OPINIUM
Abstract, post-noir short film, written, produced, directed & edited by me.
Shot in New York with SAG-compliant protocol.
The B&W short film is currently in post-production.
Here's a sample scene, a concept trailer, and an old scene work.
LOGLINE
In a starkly opinionated, authoritarian society, causing individuals to descend to absurdist acts, a young person begins a quest for substantial reason.
GENRE
An abstract, dystopian, Sci-Fi Film Noir in the veins of Franz Kafka's THE TRIAL.
SYNOPSIS
In a philosophically dystopian society, Don is making a living out of selling material to comedians, thanks to his unusually high sense of observation. Recently, the government has passed a mandate that every individual must register an opinion over every current affair. Don becomes restless when he looks at the social side-effects of this phenomenon, and decides to protest against it by refusing to register his opinions. Soon enough he is arrested for failing to comply and with a systematically manipulated verdict over his case, his existence is erased from the society, which cannot change for an individual that cares for reason.
DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
Internet and social media has given voice to the ignored communities in our world but this revolution has also brought its own set of new problems. We have slowly started becoming disillusioned, isolated, restless, opinionated and insensitive towards others. We are consistently moving away from expressing ourselves genuinely. As we are detaching ourselves from the real world, our multiple personalities are becoming obstacles to know our true self. Then there is the degradation of the language and basic modes of communication. Our ‘quick’ reactions indicate that we fail to recognize limitations of the technology and jump to inaccurate conclusions & misunderstandings.
I wanted to put a magnifying glass over this phenomenon by presenting it quite literally. Along with that, being a formalist, I wanted to extend the usual tools of film or tropes of the Film Noir genre, sometimes subverting, sometimes respecting its typical elements. Just like the protagonist does in the story, I want to begin a quest to newer ways to express a thought or concern, not by complicating the usual language but by presenting it in a manner that evokes thinking on audience’s part. The abstract nature of the writing, full of surreal liberties, stems from my experience in Theatre. As the films gained popularity in 20th century, Theatre started diversifying in formal elements. Now I feel, as VR threatens film’s place, it’s time to push for new elements in filmmaking.
