Benchmarks
Short Film
Benchmarks
password - benchmarks
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Nominated for best screenplay at the Papaya Rocks Festival, in this drama short, ‘Mark’ (30) has a conversation with his 10 year old self. But, he hasn't met his younger self's expectations. He is in a hole. But, things take a positive turn, when his seventy year old self makes an appearance.
The mental health crisis has been spoken about during this pandemic. But there has been a mental health crisis affecting men in particular for many years now, with suicide being the biggest killer of men under 45. I wanted to create a film that balances the expectations we have in life, and how sometimes not meeting them can be incredibly challenging.
Having 'Mark' in his 30s speaking to his 10 year old self was my way to dramatise that tension before he meets his older self. A conversation I had with my make up artist lead to an important symbol within this film, which is the semicolon ';' For those who have attempted and survived suicide, it symbolises that life didn't end but it continued. Amongst that community, many have chosen to have tattoos of the semicolon. For me, it was important that this film is for both a wider audience but also for them, which is why I integrated the symbol into the end credits of the film, the film poster and even our protagonist has it tattooed on his finger. Hopefully, this film can give people experiencing a dark time a feeling of hope that their older self will thank them for sticking around.
