Ancillary Task 2: Draft of Magazine Review Text

Film Review:

Something to open your eyes into the deep dark truths of social media, the new film from Amy Tilley may be one to get you thinking.

This is the second film from Amy Tilley, and let’s says it certainly differs from the last. Where Caught concentrates on the humorous ends of breakup and heartache in a teenage-orientated romantic comedy, Disconnect portrays deep, saddened emotions of the effects of social media, in which we are hooked in to sympathize with the character, not to laugh with him.

Lea Oliver, played by Ollie Lea, plays a depressed man, whose life has been taken over by social media, and he becomes disconnected from reality. The construction of this character has been portrayed well; through the absence of dialogue Tilley has really attempted to make emotion and feelings the centre of her film. This has worked well as the sincere message can clearly be projected and understood in this 4 minute short film. 

People would argue that there isn’t really a market for silent films anymore. With the increasing demand for new technology I worry that this may put people off going to watch Disconnect. However looking past the silence there’s so much to appreciate. The message still pushes through and it is this silence that symbolises the pain and suffering Lee Oliver is going through. The film creates a sense of familiarity and deals with an ever growing modern issue, which is perhaps why the film may target the older generation.

Notably the music eliminates the need for any dialogue as James Craft and Johannes Ringen tell the story through song. This is done tastefully, and the soundtrack has been paid more attention to than in Tilley’s first film Caught.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the lack of relatability to the characters. Caught seemed to have three main characters and therefore it was hard to relate to all three of them as not real relationship was created. The same applies to Disconnect, Lee Oliver’s personality does not shine through, and perhaps this is due to the length of the film, only being around 4 minutes.

Disconnect offers a different experience to viewers, not being your traditional or award ready film, however there is strong message to be revealed in this film and I wish it every success.