"There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in..."

From behind the Wardrobe to within the Labyrinth: A Comparison between “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” and “Pan’s Labyrinth”

International posters for "Pan's Labyrinth" and "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe"

The journey from the naïveté of childhood to the wisdom of adulthood has been captured in cinema in innumerable genres, styles and contexts. A popular technique, in both fiction and cinema, is to parallel the coming-of-age of the young protagonist with a secret, hidden, fantastical world that is discovered. This hidden world reflects much of the real world it exists, and holds challenges that the protagonist must overcome in their path to survival and self-discovery. This theme of combining fantasy and coming-of-age into a film can be seen in the films “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe”. However, the treatment of the same genre is starkly different in both films. The characterization of the young protagonists and plot elements represent the differing views in child psychology, political opinions, religious interpretation and realism.

The young protagonists discover a new world : (top) the Pevensies enter a wintry Narnia in awe, (bottom) Ophelia cautiously makes her way in a mysterios pale man's lair to complete a task.

While “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” looks to preserve the purity of morals and virtues by shying away from reality as much as possible, “Pan’s Labyrinth” is unafraid to delve into the darker aspects of childhood, combining ethereal fantasy with gritty reality. This reflects not only the personal ideals of the film-makers, but also cultural differences in the country of the film’s origin (England/New Zealand and Mexico, respectively).
There are several similarities that make these two films comparable. Set around the same time period of the era of World War II, both films deal with a young protagonist’s adventures into a fantastic mythical place, which exists within the world of ordinary in secret. In both films, the protagonists encounter mythical creatures with wondrous abilities, and both face an ominous adult adversary. However, the ways their journeys are treated are very different, in both visual and narrative contexts.

Fantastic creatures: (top) the magnificent Aslan the lion from "Narnia", (bottom) the friendly yet deceitful faun from "Pan's".

The film “Narnia” is based on the first of the “Chronicles of Narnia” children’s books series by author C.S. Lewis. In it, the four Pevensie children, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, are sent to their great-uncle Professor Kirke’s home, after their home in Finchley, London, was bombed, in 1940 during the London Blitz by Nazi Germany. One day, during a game of hide-and-seek, young Lucy discovers the hidden world of Narnia behind an old closet. In Narnia, it is permanently winter due to a curse by the evil White Witch of Narnia, who can only be stopped by two young boys and two young girls, prophesized by the people of Narnia as two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve. The arrival of the Pevensie children spells trouble for the White Witch, as they take it upon themselves to rid Narnia of her evil influence.

Walking in a winter wonderland: the Pevensies glimpse Narnia in permanent winter, with a distinct lack of gloom or doom in the air. The children are keen to explore, eager to step into a new world.

“Pan’s Labyrinth” is based on an original story and screenplay by Guillermo del Toro. It is about the story of a young Spanish girl named Ophelia, who moves, along with her heavily pregnant mother, to a new home in the mountains where her cruel stepfather Captain Vidal is posted to flush out the Spanish Maquis guerillas, in fascist Spain circa 1944. Upon arrival, she meets a mysterious, unnamed faun in an old abandoned labyrinth near her home, who believes she is a mystical princess reincarnated. The faun then presents her with three tasks she must complete in order to rejoin her “people”.

One small step for a ten-year-old...: Ophelia hesitates before stepping into the Toad's lair to complete her first task. She is eager to get away fom her world, but is not free to do so, because of her mother.

The timeline of the films are nearly the same- in the midst of World War II in Europe. However, the presence of the war is treated in starkly different manners in both films. In “Narnia”, the children are sent away, in order to escape the war. The fact that the film contains a scene depicted the Pevensie children escaping during the bombing, a scene not included in the books, is the only clue audiences have as to when the film is set. When the children discover the world of Narnia, they disappear into it completely, thus escaping reality permanently.

Thus, the realism and destruction of war in the form of totalitarian governments and air raids was left behind. Instead, the children dealt with epic battles between centaurs, fauns, talking animals and evil witches. This physical departure from reality into complete fantasy is an indicator of how culture dictates that English parents should be protective of their children. In a country were class boundaries and aristocratic mentalities were prevalent in the Colonial days, children were encouraged to know as little as possible about world politics, especially during the 1940s. England was losing its hold as a world power, with its colonies in India and Africa struggling for independence, and their vulnerability in Europe’s power struggle was hidden from the public, especially the youth, to maintain national pride.


The central battle of the film focuses not on a personal journey, but shifting the balance of power. The battle is fought to win, and victory goes to the pure-hearted – a subtle message about the ideology spread by the British government to keep national morale up during the war. After a battle is won, the four children are crowned the kings and queens of Narnia - a subtle representation of the British faith in monarchy and aristocracy, because there is no clear reason give as to why they even deserve the throne.


The books and films also dealt with escapism. After World War II, Great Britain relinquished the title of world power to the United States. The economy was bleak, and England was socially and culturally ravaged by the horrors of war. Though the story was set during the war, it was written after the war, in 1949. By setting it in the war, it set to remind people that there were magical places of wonder and amazement, hidden deep behind the world of violence and misery. By the end of the film, the Pevensie children accidentally return to their own world, and are immediately very unhappy about it, because they now have to deal with the reality of the human world. So now, the problems they once thought they had escaped must now be faced, because they never really went away. Thus, the idea of the British “stiff upper lip” doesn’t necessarily stem from bravery or stoicism, but rather by artfully ignoring the problems, at least in this film.


The most central and obvious theme of “Narnia” is religion, particularly Christianity. The Pevensie children take on the role of the apostles, as they are the shown the way to righteousness and decency by Aslan, the enigmatic, wise lion, who is a characterization of Christ. Aslan is depicted much like Christ – a wise person, but with rather vague answers regarding moral choices, and deemed untrustworthy by non-believers. He is even slain and brought back to life simply by the faith the people of Narnia put in him – like Christ. The Narnian army is betrayed by Edmund to the White Witch because of his greed and hunger for power – much like Judas. Aslan sacrifices his life to repent for Edmund, a “son of Adam” – much like Christ. The film even shows Lucy and Susan weeping over his corpse together – just as the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene are often depicted doing so during Christ’s crucifixion.

He died for our sins: Susan and Lucy weeping over Aslan's corpse, in a very Biblical fashion indeed.

Visually, the film is bright and well-lit, representing the underlying message of hope, redemption and “seeing the light”. The scenery of Narnia is constantly depicted as snowy landscapes, but still resembles a winter wonderland rather that a bleak snowy wasteland. Warm colors like earthy reds and browns are seen in settings to represent the absence of the influence of the White Witch, whereas her palace has the icy tones of white and blue. The scope of destruction is limited in its imagery – the White Witch merely turns her adversaries into stone rather than killing them. This ensures the young audience realizes the extent of her cruelty without being subjected to any gore or brutality. As per the studio’s policy, there is no bloodshed shown at all, taking away the realism of battle. The armors worn by the Pevensies during the climactic battle resembles Arthurian armors, a throwback to the legends of the golden age of England. The mythical creatures of Narnia like the centaurs and fauns conform to the stereotypical images as represented by Greek and Roman mythology. Interestingly enough, the villain of the piece is always portrayed in white, as opposed to the conventional black, keeping with the theme of ice and snow being her weapons of choice.

Scenes of "Narnia": (top left) preparing for battle is ominous yet the bright colours and lighting suggest hope, (top right) old-fashioned armour protect the Pevensies, (bottom left) the icy-cold White Witch of Narnia in her snow motif of white and blue, (bottom right) warm colours bathe the house of Mr Tumnus the faun.

In “Pan’s Labyrinth”, Ophelia’s escape to another world is not only temporary throughout the bulk of the story, but also superficial. Not only does she never see the magical world she once belonged to, her interaction with the mysterious faun and other creatures are limited as well. After every meeting she has with the faun, whereupon she receives further instructions about the three tasks she must complete, she has to always return back home to reality. Although set in Spain, the film-makers and producers are Mexican, and the film represents an essentially Mexican aesthetic. Thus, the fact that Ophelia returns home to reality until her tasks are complete seems to convey the fact that Mexican culture is more pragmatic and upfront in presenting the nature of the world to their children. Mexico has long undergone many socio-economic and political struggles; much of the exposure to reality was undergone at an early age for most people. Their sensibilities do not imply that there is anything to be gained from sheltering their children from reality.

The presence of the war is much more strongly felt in “Pan’s Labyrinth.” As a Spanish army captain under the Franco regime, Captain Vidal ensures any Spanish Maquis guerillas found are dealt with appropriately – murdered, execution style. The iron grip of the Fascist regime is shown in the cruelty of Captain Vidal and his actions. The central theme is about how the right path of self-sacrifice and nobility is always harder is represented both in Ophelia’s quest to rejoin her kind in her magical world, as well as the struggle between the Spanish rebels and Franco regime. Ophelia’s ultimate goal to escape her mortal world can only be achieved through patience, perseverance, fearlessness and unwavering faith in her task – much like the rebels. Within a mythical quest, thus lies a socio-political message. In wanting to topple the Fascist regime so that Spain may become a democracy and belong the to the people again, and in returning to the Underground Realm, the Spanish rebels and Ophelia both seek to return something to their rightful places.

The classic villain: Captain Vidal, the main villain of the piece, relfects evil in his actions and ideology. His constant ominous presence in Ophelia's life drives home the presence of WWII in the story.

The moral choices and questions of right and wrong are more ambiguous in this film. Ophelia cannot fully trust the faun and his intentions so she is always skeptical about the tasks she is presented. However, the deeper choices she has to make are difficult, some too complex for a ten year old to comprehend. Such moral dilemmas ring true to reality, where a right choice is never clear. Although the Spanish rebels engage in violent acts and rise against the government, they have noble intentions and therefore not the villains. This allows us to see the shades of grey present in people, that everyone is not always all good or all bad. Ophelia’s inner struggle between her desire to leave the world for someplace she belongs, and her love for her ailing, lonely mother adds complexity to her character. By giving her this complexity, the film-makers establish the onset of emotional maturity in what was once an innocent carefree child.

The central theme of the film is self-discovery and choice. While there is no clear message to the film, the thematic elements of inner conflict are presented in Ophelia’s tasks to rejoin her true parents in the Underground Realm. Ultimately, in sacrificing her own life, Ophelia proves her purity and innocence and finally enters her own world, where she is content and loved. The phantasmagorical elements of the film are obviously meant to fictionalize the events and set up the fantasy setting of the story. However, the constant shifts between the reality and the fantasy, and often its overlapping, remind the audience that reality is inescapable. What we can do to change it requires making the right decisions, which aren’t always easy to make. There are some Biblical elements to the film, such as the harsh consequences Ophelia faces after eating a grape in the Pale Man’s lair much like when Eve consumed the Forbidden Apple, but these are not very strongly presented.

Bad idea: Consuming any food from the Pale Man's table would wake him up. This advice Ophelia ignores from both the faun and the helpful sprites accompanying her in her task.

Visually, “Pan’s Labyrinth” is rich, complex and groundbreaking. The faun himself is a visual spectacle – contrary to all popular perceptions of faun, this creature was almost fearsome to behold, with an earthy motif to his appearance. The film-makers challenge convention especially in the design of the Pale Man – a horrific creature with his eyes in the palm of his hands. Lighting is used extensively to highlight the mood of the scene – dull and bleak whenever Captain Vidal is present, lush rich tones of red, oranges and browns in the Underworld realm, and mysterious shadows and shades of blue during Ophelia’s nighttime scenes with the faun. The clockwork motif present in all of del Toro’s films is also present- indicating that behind the magic there lies something very ordinary indeed. Phantasmagoria: (top left) mysterious faun in his earthly motif, (top middle) the horrific Pale Man, (top right) bright outdoor lighting for when Ophelia discovers the labyrinth, (bottom left) dim, ominous lighting for the presence of the Captain, (bottom middle) brilliant golds and browns in the Underworld Realm, (bottom right) mysterious blues and greens when meeting the faun.

Two similarly-themed films, thus, differ greatly in their message and perception simply by presentation. While essentially telling the story through the eyes of children, we see how differently children from two cultures view the same world and cope with the same struggles.

Once Were Warriors

The quest for identity is a long, hard journey, which often offers no ultimate gain, but is an important one to make. In gaining a sense of identity we gain pride, self-respect and dignity that we need in order to pick up our lives and find the strength to move on. “Once Were Warriors” chronicles that long, hard journey we make, and the physical and emotional battles that come with self-discovery.

The story involves the lives of the Keke family: abusive controlling father Jake “The Muss”, who married mother Beth at a very young age, despite the protests from her family, and their five children. Beth, who is regularly physically and sexually abused by Jake, must also deal with the defragmentation of her family. Her eldest son, Nig, has joined a street gang in an effort to distance himself from his father. Her second son, Mark, has been convicted of minor criminal charges and is sent into social welfare system. Her eldest daughter Grace, who spends most of her time writing and inventing stories, has been traumatized after being sexually violated by Uncle “Bully”, a drinking friend of her father’s.

Beth’s Maori heritage begins playing into the story as the source of strength and pride which finally culminates into Beth, tired of being abused and cleaning up after drunken parties, kicking Jake out of the house. Beth reminds herself, and the audience, that Maori people were once great warriors, and she must draw from that spirit and fight to keep her and her family’s rights to happiness. She believes that the “mana” or pride of her tribe will allow her to continue her life with dignity.

The discovery of their Maori heritage is important to her children as well. Mark is taught the fearsome “Haka” dance, an ancient tribal ritual dance, whereupon they draw upon the spirit of the ancestors. The elder son, Nig, has half of his face covered in the traditional Ta Moko tattoos to represent his heritage of half-Maori. By embracing their heritage, the boys find a sense of self-pride which they channel to better themselves as people. This is especially reflected when asked by Nig if he wanted his own Ta Moko tattoos, Mark replies he wears his on the inside. This goes to show that your identity is defined by your intrinsic qualities and not by your appearance or colour of skin.

Because of globalization, cultural borders in a colonized country like New Zealand have blurred, but this film serves to remind the Maori people of their worth. The white majority in the population has led to a situation where it had become customary to believe that the Maori were somehow less of a people than others. “Once Were Warriors” urges others to treat Maoris with the respect they deserve, and reminds Maoris of the spirit of their people and to never let that die.

Written by: Riwia Brown, based on the novel by Alan Duff

Directed by: Lee Tamahori

No Man's Land

No Man's Land is about a Bosniak named Ciki and a Bosnian Serb named Nino, who find themselves stuck in a trench together during the Bosnian War.  At first, the two soldiers try to wound each other because they are enemies. However, they eventually become somewhat of friends and attempt to help each other throughout their stressful endeavor. There is also another Bosniak soldier in the trench with them named Cera. Cera is wounded on top of a bouncing mine. If he moves off of it, the mine will explode and kill everyone within a fifty-meter radius.

While the two mobile soldiers are trapped in the trench, a French United Nations Protection Force agent tries to help the soldiers, even though he was told by his superiors to stand back. Also, an English reporter, who overhears the event taking place on the radio, pressures the UN to help the soldiers by constantly reporting on it. Naturally, scared for their lives, Ciki and Nino become fed up with one another. This causes Ciki to shoot Nino, which in turn, results in a UN agent shooting Ciki. It was determined that the mine could not be defused, but the UN tries to save its reputation and reports that it was defused and that all the soldiers were saved.  In reality, Cera is left on top of the mine, and everyone, including the reporters leave the trench.

No Man’s Land contains a power struggle between the two opposing sides.  Ciki and Nino each have their turn with the gun, which ultimately gives its possessor power over the other soldier. Ciki often tells Nino what to do at the start of the movie. Nino has to listen because, as Ciki says, “I have a gun and you don't.” Later, in the film, Nino has the gun and is able to tell Ciki what to do.  These quarrals for power in the midst of a life or death situation prove that grown men will always act like little boys, even in the middle of a war.

This film shows how globalization affected Bosnia and Herzegovina during the time of the Bosnian War. One of the main characters in the film is wearing a Rolling Stones shirt. The Rolling Stones were an English rock band formed in the 1960’s.  The fact that a Bosnian soldier is wearing a shirt of an English band shows how well developed nations affect other less developed nations, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Another issue discussed in this film is the variety of languages in war. When the UN agents try to speak to the soldiers and other various characters in the film, they have to constantly ask if he knows French or English.  Some soldiers understood French, some understood a little English, and some understood neither.  Throughout the film, there is always a struggle to be understood, which is a necessity in war. Between the fight for language and the quarrel for power, No Man’s Land, has been proposed as a comedy, but really, it is far from it.

 

Turtles Can Fly

The film, Turtles Can Fly, takes place in Kurdistan and follows the lives of the orphans in the camp. The orphans have created their own world in which they feel no need for adult supervision. Their only supervision comes from their apparent leader, an orphan by the name of Satellite. Satellite earns his name through his work in installing antennas that allowed locals to keep their eyes out for news and updates of the ongoing war. This adolescent feels obligated to tend to the other orphans as they carry out odd jobs that help Satellite earn some money. Amongst the orphans, there is one that stands apart from the rest; Hengov. Hengov lost both his arms to a mine and is miraculously able to predict the future. His sister Agrin and her son Riga create an interesting story in Satellite’s life.

It’s interesting to see how this film depicts the war in Iraq. Being a Kurdish movie, it is no surprise that the movie glorifies the fall of Saddam Hussein as he was an enemy to the Kurds. Globalization is portrayed through Satellite’s clothing as a representation of the impact of the western world. Another brief example of globalization is the inclusion of Fox news and other American shows including several American musical channels. Aside from global aspects in the film, the general cinematographic techniques and soundtrack also attribute towards a sense of global trends.

Turtles Can Fly makes a statement about the general feeling of Iraqis and Kurds regarding the involvement of the America in their country. This is one of the first Iraqi films that references the fall of Saddam and there is an overbearing positive outlook on his removal. It appears that this film is propaganda for Iraqis to support the American involvement. Regardless of the director’s views on the American involvement, it is clear that this movie wants to relay a message that screams everyone is affected by war.

Death of Mr. Lazarescu

The film Death of Mr. Lazarescu follows the hospitalization of an old grumpy lonely man. He gets thrown around from hospital to hospital always placed on the side-lines of the waiting rooms due to a serious crash that happened earlier. The doctors are all too concerned with the crash victims and dealing with their own problems to take care of Mr. Lazarescu and, as a result, his illnesses are left untreated. One lesson that is stressed is that everyone needs to care and be cared for. The film starts off with Mr. Lazarescu taking care of his cats, and as the film progresses we learn that his daughter has left him to live in Canada and his wife died many years ago. The cats have become his thing to take care of. There is no one else for him to pour his life and care into, so he makes someone out of his cats. Even as he leaves to go into the ambulance he makes sure his cats are okay. So he has someone to care for, but now what about someone to care for him?

When the paramedic arrives at his house they are both cold towards each other. The scene is dark lighting, the dialogue is short and snappy, even the set is dirty and bland looking. This makes you think that this paramedic will be just one more face in his life. But as the story continues you find out that she is just the person he needs in his life. She gives him care and grows warm to him until eventually she is fighting to get him the best care possible. She stays with him until the end and uses the friends she has to get him into tests faster or better care. She connects with him on a deeper level due to the little chats Mr. Lazarescu has with her in the back of her ambulance.

The film also makes a strong statement on the way patients (and staff) are treated in hospitals. All the hospitals except two treat their staff and Mr. Lazarescu like crap. He is just a thorn in their sides that they wish to remove as quickly as possible by passing him off to another doctor. The second hospital and fourth hospital they visit show Mariana some kindness and take her voice into opinion, but in the first and third she is thrown to the side and told not to interfere unless she is a doctor and has a degree. If the doctors were smart they would listen to her, the patient is half unconscious and she knows much more about the Mr. Lazarescu and his pains than the doctor at this point. The nurses also are not treated well, they are ordered around while the doctor pokes and runs little tests on the patient that only requires them to watch. The doctors appear to consider the nurses their slaves. By making a statement about the hospital hierarchy system the director may hope to change that and make the staff’s job much more enjoyable.

JSA: A Film Analysis

    "Joint Security Area", released in South Korea in the year 2000 and directed by Park Chan-wook, is a nationalistic drama covering the boundaries of improbable friendship in the face of political and militaristic segregation. When an unpredictable twist of fate puts a South Korean soldier face-to-face with two of his enemies-- soldiers of the North Korean military-- a humanitarian connection between the men overrides their respective military duties and a friendship is born. JSA follows this unlikely friendship through its ultimate end and the dramatic events that lead to it.

    The film's depiction of how men can overcome a seemingly overzealous sense of nationalism, in regards to both North and South Korea, is indicative of the extreme political duress during the time period that the film took place. Secret late night meetings in an otherwise abandoned guard shack were the only ways to at least semi-safely goof-off and galavant together without the sleeping North Korean officers being aware of the men's presence and holding them as spies or worse, enemy soldiers on an infiltration mission. In this sense, the possibility for peace between the opposing war camps was certainly made aware to the men involved in the group of friends, but for the vast majority of the rest of the present military, a sense of nationalism and therefore nationalistic duty would prevent them from showing mercy and humanism towards the South Koreans. This sense of nationalism, then, is a cold and isolationist beast that can defy the chords of brotherhood, even among people of the same race.

    JSA, in the end, represents the regrettable state of modern Korea where, in the two nations' pasts, they were unified as one brotherhood, under one flag, under one sense of nationalism. The same ties, then, that tear the friends apart in this story are the ones that used to bring their respective people together as a single nation. The idea of nationalism is such a strong notion that it can penetrate deeply into an individual's persona and define their views of the aliens around them, yet the idea of a nation itself is as easily divided as the signing of a Constitution or the institution of a military dictator. There is some inherent discordance in this arrangement, but unfortunately for humankind it has been pressed into us since the day we learned what it means to be proud of our countries and disdainful towards the opposing views of people from other lands.

Nine Queens : A Film Response

Juan(Gaston Pauls) and Marcos(Ricardo Darin) talk the art of con
in a scene from "Nine Queens"(2000)

Every director and writer ensures the viewer knows what to expect from a caper flick. There's a heist, a con is pulled off, and the robbers make it away with millions leaving the good guys scratching their heads. All the rules are thrown out of the window in “Nine Queens”. The whole movie isn’t just about a con, it is a con in itself, with edge-of-your-seat suspense framed in ordinary, droll exchanges.

“Nine Queens” starts off with Juan, a down-on-his-luck young man who has reluctantly turned to conning people for money in order to collect money for his father, in jail. Juan seems to be a conscientious young man, with a strong moral compass. After a convenience store con goes awry, Juan is rescued by the seemingly nice but slightly sinister Marcos, a professional weasel who knows all the tricks of the trade. Marcos is a worldly-wise cynic who believes a conscience should be left at home when working the streets. Marcos hears out Juan’s story about why he got into the con business and offers him a seemingly simply deal: to be his partner-in-crime for a day, because his current partner is missing in action. Juan agrees eager to make quick cash. An opportunity rises for the pair when an old artist friend of Marcos, Sandler, proposes a con – to sell a wealthy Spaniard a forged set of rare valuable stamps, entitled the “Nine Queens”.

Grabbing this opportunity, Juan and Marcos set out to pull off the con of their lives, only to encounter entanglements like the suspicious Spanish businessman Gandolfo, Marcos’s estranged sibling Valeria and Federico, a conniving stamp expert, and most of all, Juan’s mistrust of Marcos. The whole plan is thrown off balance when a motorcycle gang grabs the suitcase containing the forged stamps and throws the contents into the river. This set up an entirely different climax than previously achieve with convincing Gandolfo the stamps were the real deal. The pair manages to get their hands on the real stamps, and make a dubious deal with Gandolfo involving Valeria, and finally make the sale. However, the check made out to them cannot be cashed because of a financial crash, and they are stuck in a rut.

The final revelation, however, that every single character we’ve come across in the film were in cahoots with Juan in order to swindle Marcos, is possibly one of the best plot twists in cinema since “the Sixth Sense”. The script is sharp, smart to keep our attention and full of dry and sardonic wit. The cinematography is especially effective, from a close-up of a paper-shredder in the hotel room of Gandolfo to establish tension when the stamps are being inspected, to the slow turning of the lock in men’s restroom to indicate Gandolfo was listening when Marcos said he had the Nine Queens. If any assumptions can be made from this film about Argentinean society, it is most certainly this: family above all. Never wrong your family, for if you do, the consequences are dire. Overall, “Nine Queens” entertains as a heist flick/psychological suspense film, and leaves us with questions about morality and trust in today’s world.

Written and directed by: Fabian Beilinsky