Focus
2011 · 5m · South Africa
Directed by Ari Kruger
Genres: drama, romance, thriller
Tones: contemplative, melancholic, tense
A couple deeply in love has their relationship transformed by an unexpected discovery that changes how each person sees the other, in this Tropfest 2011 finalist.
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
Gavin Goodman's cinematography makes the metaphor literal without making it heavy-handed — when focus shifts in this film it's doing actual narrative work, not just signaling that something is emotionally blurry, and that discipline is what separates a competent short from a craft statement.
Optical depth-of-field as romantic metaphor. Tropfest finalist 2011 means a specific narrative template — five minutes, twist, sad music. I know the shape already.
Ari Kruger uses literal depth of field as both the optical metaphor and the structural principle — what we see versus what we choose not to. Tropfest finalist; the concept lands more than the page summary suggests.
Festivals
- Tropfest 2011