Senses of Cinema Reviews Home Education

From the Fantasia International Film Festival

“If this year’s Small Gauge Trauma program had one highlight, it is Home Education, a UK short directed by Andrea Niada. The film depicts the experience of a young girl whose father lies dead upstairs. Her mother is convinced this is a “test” and if they can prove that they truly miss him, he will be resurrected. The short focuses on rot and decay as the mother speaks of the destructive properties of dust and dirt. She explains that, scientifically, “hard” objects such as rocks do not decay but “soft” ones such as flesh can never escape deterioration. The young girl is inquisitive and in spite of her limited home-school education, primes herself to work around the horrors of degradation.

The film has an aloof energy and a sensuality that evokes both smell and touch, sensations that can only be invoked through the power of suggestion in an audiovisual medium. It has a blistering energy that takes its time and revels in aesthetic diversions. While driven by a haunting narrative, the film follows the wistful lead as her mind wanders, breaking from the story to explore the forest outside. Animal bodies in decay litter the forest floor, drawing the girl further from her mission to find a gift. This detour operates in a poetic mind-space rather than within a linear storytelling model.”

Thank you guys!

For the full review click HERE

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