"Girl in Red" by Santeri Tuori
I thought I’d make my first actual blog entry about the short film shown in class yesterday (8/29) that disturbed me the most: Girl in Red, by Santeri Tuori, made in Finland.
It felt like the longest few minutes of my life. Well, okay, so I suppose I have experienced longer before. But my point is that it created such a feeling of suspense and discomfort that, for something so short, it left a pretty powerful mark. The images of the little girl were incredibly eerie, and it seemed as though I was watching some kind of ghost or ghoul from a horror flick. It definitely left me with a sense of unease.
What bothered me most, however, is probably the fact that I didn’t understand its message. Did it successfully deliver the feeling its creator meant for the viewer to get? Yes, I would imagine so. Did it successfully deliver a meaningful message that the viewer could walk away with? No, I really don’t think it did.
Perhaps I’m simply not a “true artist,” since often times I become confused at messages that are vague or not spelled out in black and white. But, I mean, this wasn’t even spelled out in fuchsia. (I know; that didn’t make much sense to me either.) Shouldn’t an artist who is trying to get a message out there first concern himself with ensuring that his audience will understand the message? No matter how good a point he has, if people can’t understand what he’s saying, the message WILL get lost. And in a “message” film, once that happens, the film itself loses its purpose.
I’m not saying that it was a complete failure. It was visually appealing, and as I stated earlier, it definitely left the correct feeling it was supposed to leave. But it was far too artsy for the common person to grasp, and as a result, the heart and soul of it -- its meaning -- was lost.
Overall, I definitely didn’t care for it. I just didn’t feel as though it hit me on a profound level. And while not every film has to do so, a film that’s meant to do so should.
This is just my opinion...Anyone care to comment?
posted by Caitlynn @ 9:24 AM
4 Comments:
What if the artist's intention Was merely to make you look and feel uncomfortable?
Could the" message" be the creepiness you felt by staring at this girl AND your inability to look away?
It may be that by N0T giving an easy interpretation the artist is forcing you to think... is that enough?
I never thought of it that way....
I suppose it is possible that the artist was merely trying to force the viewer to think. Thinking is good. But by doing so doesn't that bring the risk of unintentionally spreading a message that you don't support? I don't so much mean with "Girl in Red," but just in general. If a storyteller is too broad in what they say, couldn't it have as negative an outcome as if they were too specific?
I agree with you Caitlynn. While left with a creepy feeling, I did not get a specific message out of girl in red. And I can't say as I have thought of it overly much since then. It probably won't affect me for a lifetime because I didnt get anything to think about.
Exactly, Amanda. I think at this point, I'll remember the BGB video more than the Girl in Red, simply because of all the discussion that took place about it. But the Girl in Red video didn't leave me with much to think on other than a feeling; and feelings without thought will fade over time.
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