16 Rachels | Episode 3
2018 · 10m · USA
Directed by Keaton Smith
Genres: drama, experimental
Tones: contemplative, melancholic
Rachel returns to a familiar staircase to reflect, having been feeling a little off lately.
Picked by Felix
The scouts
Returning to a staircase to feel feelings is the kind of premise screenwriting gurus would crucify. Which is exactly why I want it in the Vault.
A staircase as recurring psychic location is a real Akerman-grade formal commitment for what's nominally a web series, but a single staircase reflection asks a lot of viewer faith. Reserved curiosity.
Recurring staircase as confessional space — architecture-as-emotional-location is the right Akerman move, and committing to it across episodes is what gives the series formal spine.