slap (2015)

 

'Slap' is a short film about identity, courage, love and acceptance, but also a matter of rage. The play on this nuanced is done successfully by representing a teenage boy who has a passion for boxing, however he also has a secret love and expressing himself in a feminine way as it gives him a sense of freedom. As the film unfolds, we begin to see the struggles he faces when trying to feel accepted in society due to non conforming to the stereotypical masculine role. 

The use of objectifying posters of women in the background/on his wall not only show that he has an appreciation for the female body, but also shows his idealised self and what he aspires to look like. They are used to try and deceive his father into thinking that he finds the female body attractive and implies that he has voyeuristic fantasies about women, much like other boys his age. However, they suggest that he is unhappy with his masculine appearance and instead wishes to look more feminine, which he expresses through posters and makeup. This reflects societies view that men must hide their emotions and stereotypical female characteristics do not fit into their masculine social category. Tuchmann's theory of gender is used here, as it shows that each gender has their own set of rules to follow within society and following anything else is seen as abnormal. 

With this, it is important to consider the location in which 'Slap' is situated. The audience can assume that this is a place in England, due to the set and accents of the actors. This town is unaccepting and harsh, which forces him to hide his true self from the people closes to him. In his room, he finds his safe space by experimenting with gender fluidity. This is heavily contrasted with the boxing club, which presents a harsh environment where he is forced into being the worst version of himself, mentally and physically. The visual motif visible in the boxing club is hands. This obviously relates to the act of boxing, but also as a way of dealing with his built up aggression of not being able to be express him self in an appreciated way. 

The visual motif of mirrors displays the theme of dual identities which is heavily emphasised in this short film. The shot of the broken mirror shows that the character is struggling with his identity and is not happy with the way he perceived. The cracked mirror connotes that the character sees himself as broken. He is unable to feel whole due to not expressing his true self. The mirror also allows us the see three different views of him which suggests that he has a split personality/identity which is why he feels he doesn't fit into societal norms as he doesn't belong to any set social category. The theory of denotation and connotation is portrayed here as it shows how when we look deeper into the text, we can see the underlying meaning that helps us engage with the characters emotions and train of thought. At first glance, we just see a broken mirror, however, when we assess the shot we can see that the mirror is in fact a metaphor for his emotions and fragmented state of mind. The camera angle allows us to be close to him, and makes us feel close both physically and emotionally. This shot helps us to see the empathy expression on his face which allows us to sympathise with him.  

We can also consider the use of colour to represent the emotions of fear and courage. The film is washed with tints of grey and blue to signify the sadness provoked from the protagonist. When he arrives at the party, he is hidden within the shadows to represent his fear of being noticed as someone who might not be recognised by the unaccepting society in which he is living. He steps into the spotlight which could show that he is becoming more comfortable with himself, and isn't afraid of what people think.