During this weeks session we continued to evaluate several short films as a group and were then once again given the task of a personal analysis of one film at home.
I have chosen to cover the gritty, social realism drama ‘Skin deep’ by Yousaf Ali Kahn – 2001 – 13.00 minutes long.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/films/p004t688
The film depicts ‘Romo’ as he struggles to grow up in a rough lower class, white neighborhood as a half Pakistani/half White young man during a predominantly racist era.
Pretending to be white he befriends some skinheads, who after a night out begin to torment another Pakistani boy.
After Romo gets involved in the bullying he has what can only be described as a personal identity crisis, this confusion of character is for me, the directors main theme through out the film.
Romo is shown to have an on going battle with himself, with his pride and heritage on one side and the longing to belong and fit in on the other.
The film aims to follow this battle and about how tough it can be to grow up in such a small minded society when you don’t conform to the norm and how in such cases people can be driven to ‘do’ or in this case ‘be’, something they are not.
In my opinion the phrase ‘A product of its environment’ works perfectly for describing Romo.
One particular element of the film that stood out to me was the use of subjective flash backs through out, each relating to a different side of Romo’s personality. His late father on one side as a reminder of his upbringing and warning him to stay clear of the racists and a group of skinhead bullies on the other, pressuring him over the edge and causing him to detest and hide who he really is.
Another technique used in the film I admire was the portrayal of Romo’s breakdown, a flash back of him being tormented seamlessly blends in to real life, mocking him and egging him on as he shaves his own head.
The way he envisions his demons either side of him in his reflection, laughing in his face whilst screaming racial abuse at him self really evokes a feeling of unease, pushing the viewer to the edge of their seat and simultaneously causing the feeling of claustrophobia.
The use of sound in this film is in my opinion excellent, ranging from the atmospheric mumbling, laughing and racial slurs in the pub, to aggressive and threatening shouting and abuse dispersed through out.
The distinct lack of music or a soundtrack during the film speaks volumes it self, enhancing the realism and seriousness of the subject.
At one point in the film a simple, percussive piece of music is played shortly, whilst walking his sister to school, but as soon as they enter the area white people live in this stops and isn’t heard again through out the entire film, I believe the reason for this being Romo is constantly on the look out for the rest of the film and whilst the music is played, it is the only part of the film he is slightly relaxed or feels ‘safe’.
There also several scenes which make sure use of a sharp, atmospheric noise, much like that of a train stopping, often at moments of fear and high pressure where Romo has to stop and think.
From a technical stand point the film is very well made, clean and clear shots with a smooth pacing, the sudden flash backs grab your attention enough for you to retain concentration through out and the grainy realism of the footage absorbs the viewer and immerses them in another era.
The locations used were all very realistic and true to the time period, nothing specifically impressive but I believe the Director wasn’t looking to impress the audience, just involve them in a photo-realistic representation of the area at that point in time, which he does very well.
I found the film to be highly successful, not so much from an entertainment perspective, but from that of a interesting, quizzical point of view.
It really makes you ponder and feel highly emotional involved, despite Romo’s cowardice and lack of charm, there is still something about him as a character that can make the audience feel empathetic towards him and you do end up feeling quite attached.
I also feel the film is massively easy for people to relate too, not necessarily just from a racial perspective but from any social out-cast point of view.
It is more then likely that the audience have at some point in their lives been on the receiving end of pressure, be it in school, work, family or friendship groups and there is a fine line between pride or fitting in and it can be difficult to know which side of it to stand on.
I found the film to be a highly enjoyable watch, short and punchy enough to evoke many feelings and thoughts with out becoming too intense or grating.
I didn’t feel once that the narrative was being forced upon me and the pace of the film is near on perfect.
I could happily of sat through a full-length feature version of the film and was left pondering about the next stage in Romo’s life, who in my opinion is a incredibly strong character with lots of room to evolve.
I do believe how ever any additional work to the story would ruin the dramatic ending and lessen the impact left by the films final scene.
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