The strength of the film lies in its subtlety. There are no dramatic plot twists or excessive expression here”, Zuzanna Kućmaja from the LFF Media Group about one of the short films competing for the Golden Anteater Award.
Lights, camera, action! The Lublin Film Festival has officially begun, and with it the short film competition. As the organisers explain, the Focus: Community centres on productions that bring us together. They contain contemporary themes that came from various parts of the world and are presented from the point of view of ordinary people trying to find their place in a chaotic reality.
Among many wonderful films, it was the work of emerging director, Jake Kuhn, “Guideprice 1100pcm, 1 Bed Flat to Rent”, that left me truly enchanted.
In the film, the flat itself becomes a fully-fledged character and a living space that responds to the emotions and fates of the people within it. In just seven minutes, the entire dramatic life cycle of an interior is captured: from its birth, through its flourishing, to its gradual decline.
Using minimalist means of expression — a single static shot, subtle interplay of light and shadow, the transition from a rich, detail-filled set design to its complete absence, as well as brief, restrained dialogue — the director shows that it is people who give meaning to a space, and they are the ones who take it away when they leave.
The strength of the film lies in its subtlety. There are no dramatic twists or excessive expression, instead, there is a profound reflection on the relationship between humans and the world around them. Thanks to this economy of means, every detail, the placement of the furniture, the light falling through the window, the faint echo of footsteps, gains significance and intensifies the emotional impact of the work. It is a film which, although it lasts only seven minutes, leaves a lasting impression on the viewer’s memory.
The screening of “Guideprice 1100pcm, 1 Bed Flat to Rent”, held on the second day of the 19th Lublin Film Festival, was the film’s world premiere.