Color Blind

I generally seek films that communicate a state of humanity, while also trying to break the mold of cinema. On the first viewing, I was taken aback by this film's simplicity: mostly voice-over and lingering images of a woman. The fifteen-minute drama is a stylized piece about a director, played by Youssefian, who casts Grace (Shannan Allyn), the woman he secretly admires as the heroine in his film. My initial reaction was "this is a sweet, unimportant film about love." I left the theatre and a few days later, it started. The images and brooding music of the film poured back into my head, and its memory hit me like a brick. Color Blind has such a complex structure but it's so brilliantly hidden that you could not uncover its secret on the first viewing. The story weaves together four layers of meaning that consistently connects every scene. There are some technical flaws that are the obvious result of a limited budget and crew, but this short film ranks alongside bunuel's Un Chien Andalou (1929). If you are a short film enthusiast, this is a must-see!