ONE MAN – SHORT FILM from matt rhodes on Vimeo.

One Man is a short film and a good example of story telling without the use of dialogue. The first unanswered question: does he jump or not (00:04)? The editor opens with this scene to make the audience question how and why he got to that point, later returning to it near the end of the film.

(00:37) There are close shots with many details. The audience may guess what kind of person he is according to the decrations that he chooses to surround himself with; music note designs, a sculpture of a musician, a photograph of a drummer… these details tell me that he loves music and he may be a drummer.

The editor shot the bedroom door instead of the character so that his unusual attire would serve as a reveal. You can hear his drum set off-screen (01:10). When he entered the shot at 1:19, the audience knew that he was the character.

The action and reaction shots of the people he interacts with suggest that onlookers do not like him and do not enjoy his music (2:46). He wants to feed the dove but sound of his drums scared the birds away (04:17).

Should he keep working on his music? Should he take it off his shoulder? He doesn’t know. No one understands him, no one supports him, maybe he shouldn’t stay. At this point, he goes to the rooftop and we return to where we were in the opening scene, with him contemplating suicide (06:32).

Just as he appears to be ready to jump (07:12), a coin is tossed into his collection container. I can see the action and reaction from his face. He got a coin from a lady, but does she likes his music? We then see a close shot focus in on her ear and it is revealed that she is wearing a hearing aid. (07:23)! Whether or not she liked his music is irrelevant. She may just want to show her support. I enjoyed the positive energy of the video and its message.