The predominant action in 'Ear Damage' unfolds within a week, taking us into the fragile mental state of the protagonist, Rohan, in the brief span. The film chooses a non-linear narrative, along with a black and white palette to bring its reality to life. Soon, a world of extreme paranoia, obsession and fixation, nightmares and jitters is conjured for the viewer. 

For Rohan, it started with an article he read about a man's ear getting infested with cockroaches. This is followed by him seeing the insects everywhere, in wakefulness and in nightmares. They consume his reality, as he gradually ends up taking a terribly dark path of self-harm and destruction. The cockroaches could be a metaphor for the various struggles of a young man at a crucial crossroads of life. Or they can simply be a projection of a mind fraught with anxieties and trauma. 

The film leaves that open to the viewer's interpretation. It further exhibits potential in weaving a narrative, and employing different tools, be it the palette or the background score of Western Classical music, to achieve the same. Despite showing the need of a firmer hold on its sound, 'Ear Damage' concludes as what could perhaps be a seminal first step on a long road of storytelling.

Ear Damage | Short Film Nominee

Following the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic on the world, we were left drowning in a reality of emotional and physical isolation we had no precedence of. The short film is an attempt to portray the same by taking us into the life of its protagonist - a solitary woman who finds herself quarantined alone in her house of whites and greys. As the colors bleed into the visuals before you, the muted palette conjures a drab world of loneliness and its devastating effects on the mental health of the woman who impatiently awaits the return of her partner, Dhanush. The narrative further brings in dance and music to express the plethora of emotions the lockdown and the consequent quarantine invoked for us all, and in the same fashion, for the protagonist. At its climax, however, awaits a far shocking revelation the viewer would not have seen coming.

Get Together | Short Film Nominee

Invoking Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis, the story aims to bring to life a sense of pointlessness of the world we found ourselves located in following the Covid-19 pandemic. By portraying the struggles of its protagonist who finds himself unable to even move when the crushing weight of existence becomes overwhelming, the narrative further asserts the mundaneness of his routine which remains the same day after day. In terms of practical concerns, while the world continues to battle huge financial losses, the philosophical reality within is also not too far from a tumultous upheaval, suggests the plot.

Ninad Wani

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