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First, the Recap:
Youth. A time when the combination of innocence and recklessness form the prevailing mindsets and associated decisions that come with them, whether it is for benefit or detriment. When wishing to abscond from the world at large, the moments of choice that lead to this can manifest beautiful memories or harsh lessons, sometimes both. When it is this latter reality, will it be something we recover from, or will it spell a more uncertain fate?
Roman (Danyil Kamenskyi) and Julia (Veronika Lukyanenko) are just as they appear–young, vibrant, and wanting to get away from normal, at least for a little while, as they arrive at an isolated beach. Not speaking a word, rather allowing their exchanged looks, motions, and gestures to dictate the connection between them, a final choice is made as they look towards the roiling sea. In these instances of freedom, what will the outcome lead to?
Next, my Mind:
While it might normally be associated with those getting married, the concept of “taking the plunge” gets a decidedly literal and metaphorical exploration with an outcome that is anything but expected or conventional thanks to this Oscar qualifying 13-minute short film from director Aldo Iuliano, writer Severino Iuliano, producer Davide Mogna, plus co-producers Fabio Canepa and Gianluca Lazzaroni. Executed with an effectively dialogue-free format and intelligently laid out visuals to depict its tale, this critic feels it almost carries an experimental cinema mood and impact, requiring you to fully pay attention to every little movement, expression, and conjecture-driven intent that its characters portray while also letting your own perspective of what’s unfolding guide you to ascertain what IS transpiring–until it becomes far more evident in a most unanticipated and admittedly unsettling manner.
With its backdrop of a chilly, stormy day on an undisclosed beach location, the narrative follows two young teens as they come rushing from elsewhere down onto the sands to simply relax, take in each other’s company, playfully frolic, and then look to the arousing thunder of a churning sea as a final moment to, as the film’s title states, dive in and connect in a deeper way. All of this is presented with such an interestingly clever, I felt, mix of dramatic, whimsical, and a small amount of fantastical atmosphere to the extent where we might even make the supposition that time is standing still, or at minimum slowed down for this pair to relish. Is this friendship aiming to be taken to the next level? Is it already love ready to take that new step in intimacy? Is it just a portrait of what the two people are wanting to happen and just needed to see IF they have the courage to do it?
Again, I personally believe there’s much left open to interpretation here, at that’s what gives the film its particular uniqueness in approach. However, there are also more ominous sides to this narrative as well, though mostly or at least initially subtle, warning signs that in the throes of youth we don’t always make the most intelligent decisions, and that what seems so innocent (albeit daring and exciting as well) can potentially lead to an end result that isn’t so beneficial. Suffice it to say, how the film’s finale chooses to address these aspects of the narrative is quite disturbing and emotionally jarring, but yet somehow it seems eerily apropos for the grander thematic journey that we’ve watched come to pass, even if it might leave you as the viewer with a suddenly quieted sense of joy we’ve been captivated by being replaced by more drastically sobering melancholy.
When it comes to having to act without the benefit of any form of dialogue to fuel the performance, the utilization of body language, facial expression, and literal physicality become the key elements that must be engaged in order to maintain a viewer’s attention. I very much felt that this tandem cast of Kamenskyi and Lukyanenko did admirably in this capacity through their respective roles here as Roman and Julia, two young individuals who are coming to an apparently isolated shoreline to enjoy some personal time and, perhaps, liberation from the cares life is trying to throw at them. Without even saying any words to each other, but rather enchanting each other with glances and mutually shared smiles, laughs, drinks, music, and a conspicuously flirtatious energy. Soon, as their time progresses, it comes down a choice to dive into more of what’s happening between them–but to what end when further facets of what’s around them are revealed?
It’s an ambiance that’s so primarily filled with the rapture of connection but that gets such a blatantly upended jolt into fearful actuality and the price of what ends up being poor choices in attempting to BE brave or at least audaciously fearless, and how the two actors envelop us in their characters foray is adeptly magical, entrancing, and then heartbreakingly affecting. There are no other supporting players to be had in this effort, perhaps with the exception of the beach and wind-and-wave swept sea and coastline that form the foundational “participants” in a possibly endearing-but-tragic, acutely and surprisingly piercing story. So, in total, “Dive” stands as a singularly crafted film that consummately represents the realm of independent cinema and the more specific medium of short film, what it can accomplish in abbreviated fashion, and its ability to create an impact on your senses that transcends the mainstream.
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
