Sniffer by Bobbie Peers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bop_UJ3kmog

What an odd, yet memorable and nuanced film. The consistent hum of the soundtrack matches the monotonous expressions of the characters, especially the main character's expressionless and almost comatose look. Drudgery seemed to be one of the underlying tensions in Peers' film. One element that suggested this, aside from the steady hum in the background, was the silence the characters had adopted. Throughout the film, no words are spoken in reaction to or in acknowledgement of anything that's taking place. After floating to the ceiling, the husband chooses to pull down a light fixture rather than call to his wife, who, upon noticing her husband's location, exhibits no alarm, but calmly lowers and fastens him in bed. Later, neither spouse utters even a pleasantry when the husband leaves for work. Peers builds on this pattern of apathy to the climactic scene when the pigeon falls dead amidst the indifferent deodorant test subjects and our main character's carbon copied coworkers in lab coats. All stand in careless acknowledgement as the receptionist attempts to throw the deceased bird away, until the main character, to that point indifferent toward anything or anyone is stirred to action, rescuing the bird from the room's disinterest, monochromaticity, and callous. He then wanders, somewhat aimlessly outside, the pigeons limp head and neck dangling from his hands, when a flock of pigeons interrupt his wandering, the lifeless bird mysteriously gone, like his own indifference. The man seems to awaken from his stoicism, abandoning his gravity boots for the sky in a beautiful metaphor for self-actualization.

I also have to comment on Peers use of setting. There's a mystery and fantastic element to the nature of these character's environment that add another layer of tension to the story. The inexplicable nature of the atmosphere's lack of gravity is such a brilliant addition to the narrative, because without it, the culminating scene and several other tensions couldn't be achieved. Peers seems to be illustrating that no matter where a civilization or people exist, no matter how unconventional their surroundings, monotony and tedium can still erode their passion and pleasure.

Late Bloomer by Clay McLeod Chapman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3gNQ2KYCb4

This film is a comedic and psychedelic journey through the death of a young man's innocence. The power of this film for me was in the protagonist's highbrow, poetic language contrasting the adolescent baseness of its content. Unlike Peers characters, whose absence of expression was necessary for drawing out the film's underlying tensions, Chapman's characters amplified their facial expressions to help draw out the film's comedic intent. For example, the main character becomes manic as his discomfort and arousal increase during the lecture.

Like Peers, McLeod uses elements of fantasy in his story to add tension and intrigue to the film. For example, the girl's erotic dancing in their desks, the animated chalk genitals, and the eventual student orgy, all illustrate the speaker's inner and physical stimulation. These fantastic elements help to build the film's tone and illustrate the protagonist's struggle, much like the husband in "Sniffer," whose gravity boots and midnight levitation mirror the weight of his life's tedium and drudgery.