https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHAuGA7gqFU
“2+2=5” is an Iranian fictional short film set in a classroom where a teacher insists that 2+2=5. The first shot of the video starts with the title on a blackboard and dollies to behind the students.
I really like this project for two main reasons: It’s shot completely in one small room, and the angles used in the close-ups really help juxtapose the power imbalance between the teacher and student.
The first thing you notice when the teacher enters the room is that he’s presented from the student’s perspectives, and that seems to carry throughout the piece. It makes him seem superior, and lends the character power by being looked up at.
After the teacher enters, he stands quietly and the broadcast system squeals on and the Head Master informs the students that there have been changes in the school. When the radio turned on the camera dolly’ed forward and refocused on the speaker, but still from the student’s perspective.
In contrast, whenever the student’s faces were shown, they were being looked down on, simulating the teachers perspective. Aside from the first establishing shot, the rest of the video goes back and fourth between the teachers and students. Even when a student stood up to the teacher’s lesson in defiance, he was never shown looking up.
It could also be argued that the angles are due to the age and size of the subjects, but this piece makes a fairly poignant statement about monolithic power.