BECAUSE OF THE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW WE STRONGLY ADVISE TO WATCH THE FILM FIRST.
Director Maria Askedal serves us one of the shortest films in our festival so far and one of the most interestingly screened ideas: ‘Time Played‘.
A man walking by finds a woman trapped in some revolving doors asking for help but his good intentions will reward him with an unexpected outcome. This short film… manufactures a modern myth for ballerina musical boxes, to put it so. ‘Time Played’ is like turning the key of a musical box once and waiting to see what magic it will arise of it.
The reference we find quite clear: the trapped woman is not a ballerina but is dressed in a red elegant robe and has been intentionally chosen to look attractive – therefore she is meant to be a substitute for the ballerina which used to symbolize grace and femininity. The revolving doors are a certain reference to the figurine in the box spinning while the song plays.
The song starts when the young man sees the young woman trapped and will play the way our modern ‘ballerina’ wants, performing her magic on the young man to capture his fascination beyond reason. But what happens then? This is the denouement that we will leave for you to discover.
Maria Askedal’s film can be looked at as a short obsessive abstract story too that will only capture the public’s obsession the same way a musical box song does and it is definitely a metaphor that supports a vast array of meanings: from ‘no good deed remains unpunished’ to ‘damsel in distress’ and even ‘pay it forward’ – but would that always be the fair thing to do?
Our favourite though, and we think the closest to the truth – especially that the music is a strong hint to it – is the ballerina musical box myth. A truly inspiring very short film with no dialogue but one that is so meaningful and to the point. Simple and beautiful! Our highest recommendation to it!
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