Glass Cages
“Glass Cages” shines its light on a phobia that I wasn’t even aware of, which makes it all that much more interesting. Perhaps that phobia – agoraphobia – is well known to others, but I had to google it. For those who don’t know, it’s where you fear and avoid public places that can cause a panic attack.
The mother in this short film suffers from that and her house is a pigsty as she has avoided going outside at all costs. Yes that means she won’t even take the trash out. Her ex-husband comes over to inform her he’s taking the kids when he moves for his job. There’s a lot of tension between them and he pretty much makes her feel more like trash than her place showcases. He holds her phobia against her and uses that for his reason of why she’s unfit. In all honesty, it’s quite heartbreaking. So what does this mother do since she won’t go outside? She becomes the neighborhood watch, something my own grandfather has slowly become. All jokes aside, this is where the story turns to a 180 and she witnesses something. It’s a very Alfred Hitchcock moment that causes her to panic. Now, I’m going to stop right there before I get too carried away with what she sees… I will say that from this point on I was super intrigued and just as baffled as the mother was.
When she has these panic attacks, I fell in love with the cinematography and the editing. Both together made for a trippy ride that looked visually beautiful. This whole thing is shot nicely for the most part. I love how they were able to showcase what a panic attack might look like as I’d imagine it being choppy with visual senses heightened and things becoming blurry. During these moments, the film progressively got more intense. I wasn’t expecting it to be so suspenseful upon my initial viewing and it got me by surprise, which I really enjoyed.
I couldn’t help but feel awful for this mother. She was trying her best to prove to herself, and to her kids, that she can overcome this phobia of hers. Each time she tries, it gets worse. It doesn’t help that the scene she witnesses only increases that phobia tenfold. The fact the actress made this such a believable story and played an unhinged character so well, but adding depth at the same time, really made me appreciate where this character was coming from and what the filmmakers were going for.
This is suspenseful and it’s a rollercoaster. It’s more psychological as we, the audience, begin to question if the mother had actually witnessed something or if she is truly going insane. It’s a constant battle between believing and not believing and then feeling sorry out of pity for her phobia or her mental state. The tension progressively gets worse and worse and works towards an ending that is rewarding and haunting at the same time.
If you like suspense-driven films that highlight an unique element, then this is for you. I don’t regret watching it at all and I’m still in awe as I ponder upon the sequences where the mother suffers from her attacks. It’s taunting and at points it made me feel like I was having a panic attack to certain degrees as well.
