“Two Days” By The Black Skirts

A coming-of-age dark comedy set in the 90’s about a dorky teenager heartbroken after a remorseless breakup. He escapes by fever dreaming about a carefree relationship with a young TV star, but despite his newfound romance as well as a dazzling makeover, things take a surreal and distressing turn. Heavily inspired by dreams and Aki Kaurismäki’s body of work, the video aims to capture the roller coasters of evocative and miserable thoughts that come in the aftermath of a breakup in the form of a nostalgic teen movie.

The short film IN MEDIAS RUSH is an experimental cinematic journey into the depths of a manic mind. A poetic retro-sci-fi narrative unfolded in a string of unsettling tableaus that encapsulates the male protagonist’s ambiguous feelings about his birthday. While balancing between realities in his silent struggle with severe mental illness, we plunge into the film at a neatly orchestrated birthday party. The protagonist is accompanied by his girlfriend, and they are drinking cocoa on the couch in their mutual home. The setting breathes pure perfection, but through the voice over we sense that another reality is soon to be revealed. With one foot on the accelerator, he is heading towards the edge. The thematic focal point of IN MEDIAS RUSH is mental health problems among young adults, and the social/personal consequences related to the existing taboo on the subject. The film wishes to formulate an honest cinematic space in which words, sound, and image artistically interprets and articulates some of the perspectives related to especially bipolar, anxiety, and psychotic disorders. IN MEDIAS RUSH was nominated in the category 'Best Danish Short Film' at Copenhagen Short Film Festival in 2020. Original title: IN MEDIAS RÆS Directed by: Esben Persson -------------------- DK: IN MEDIAS RÆS IN MEDIAS RÆS er en filmisk rejse ind i dybderne af et manisk sind. En ung mand fejrer sin fødselsdag, mens hans tanker tordner afsted. Med en uvillig fod på speederen har han kurs mod kanten. FR: IN MEDIA RES IN MEDIA RES est un voyage dans les profondeurs d’un esprit maniaque. Un jeune homme fête son anniversaire tandis que ses pensées se multiplient. Malgré lui, il se dirige vers un point de non-retour. -------------------- Cast: Peter Alexander Bach & Amanda Overby Drew Director // Script writer // Set designer // Costume designer // Editor // Speaker: Esben Persson Photographer // Editor: Lasse Mølsted Producer: Latifa Lykke Ben Mabrouk Assistant producer: Cecilie Creutsberg Music composer: Martin Bejder Sound designer: Mads Hye Chief Lighting Technician: Rasmus Bruun Liboriussen VFX: Jonas Fonnesbæk Lodahl Colorist: Kristopher Paterson Graphic designer: Jakob Toft Kristensen -------------------- Shot on RED Monstro 8K with Lomo Squarefront Anamorphics.

The ultimate goal was to weave everything into a surrealism-inspired fever dream of its own. I also found it really amusing to marry the more dramatic inspirations - which I liked from the youthful romanticism’s of Wong Kar-wai and fatalistic zooms of Kubrick - with fun and colorful palettes. The project, first initiated by Canadian film producer James Qiu, is part of the Korean indie rock artist The Black Skirts’s English language EP “Good Luck To You, Girl Scout!,” the artist's first release in over two years.

Writer & Director - Waley Wang

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Credits

Music: The Black Skirts 검정치마
Writer & Director: Waley Wang
Producer: James Qiu
Director of Photography: Wenyu ‘Andy’ Yu
Concept: Waley Wang, Bryan Cho

Starring:
Boy: Leo Suzuki
Actress: Katya Meliton
Friend: George Fearing
Friend: Jeffrey Greiner

Featuring Bryan Cho as Bryanna Cho

Co-Producer: Yutian Feng
Associate Producer: Nick Jones
Line Producer: Ian Tan, Camille Yangzi Rao

1st Assistant Camera: Samuel Schrag
Steadicam Operator: Brandon Han
Gaffer: Stefan Nachmann

Production Designer: Sharon Vion
Art Director: Emile Domise
Hair and Makeup: Maria Matarrese
Styling: Sharon Vion & Emile Domise

Editor: Alvaro del Val
Colorist: Maria Carretero
Color Producer: Andrew Pandolfino
VFX: Samuel Schrag
Hi8 Tech: Jon Fordham
Titles: Rachel Tonkovich
Sound Designer: Romain Sturma
Conform: Sam Stulin

Special Thanks:
Stefan Nachmann, Maya & Kenji Suzuki, Wei Chen, Jie Wang, Alec Jiao, Dexter Sun, May Sun,
Jon Fordham, Phyllicia Saltzgaber, Ben Goelz, Joanne Wang, Olaf Woldan

Hey filmmakers! Have a project of your own you’d like us to check out?