Tea
Tea is a short film about a disillusioned young man’s idea about life and his hatred towards the insincerity one has to embrace to get by every day. Valentyn Korotkevych has not only written the script for Tea but also directed and acted in it. His portrayal of a frustrated youth who stays aloof from his girlfriend, for the fear of being looked down upon is so natural and unprompted. The film addresses a profound idea that may seem frivolous from a distance but is the one which gnaws at a person’s thoughts from inside slowly.
Selecting the hand-held shooting technique for a concept which focuses on a person’s deepest thoughts seems appropriate. The photography complements the setting and the idea that is being conveyed. We can see the way the camera captures the vexation and the helplessness of Anthony when he tries to make Vanessa understand of his musings. Anthony’s monologue stands out in this 13-minute film and the dialogues are well written. Their expressive and telling nature makes it easy for the audience to stand in Anthony’s shoes and comprehend the pain he has been in about his relationship with Vanessa and various other things he addresses.
The sound, however, could be bettered; Vanessa’s voice was audible, but Anthony’s dialogues seem muddled, maybe while trying to be in synchronous with the apartment ambience. The actors have delivered really eloquent dialogues, they just seemed unrehearsed. Vanessa Jackson has brilliantly portrayed the character of a solicitous yet resolute girlfriend. Her unfaltering opinion about the realistic nature of life interweaved with her dominance over her emotions when Anthony expresses why he had never said those three words is really appreciable. She has a command over the way a character should be portrayed, I think. The way Anthony flinches when Vanessa shouts ‘Say something already’ after she is annoyed by his silence – that really is a good direction and good acting. Valentyn’s portrayal of a dissatisfied youth unable to make sense of the reality and who fears being committed in a relationship with Vanessa is equally good.
The dialogues are the best part for any film, especially the ones that span over a few minutes. They need to convey an intricate idea lucidly in a given short period of time. The monologue Anthony delivers speaks about every such person who is disgusted by their own disguise to make believe the world around them that everything is alright with an affected smile that hides the real emotions. The idea Anthony shares about love is truly real. For some it is really everything that they could do, they just get addicted to the person they love and nothing makes sense anymore. The jealousy that a person feels of all the other people that his partner is surrounded by when she is not around – Valentyn conveys all this with utmost conviction.
Tea tries to capture the idea that may not seem natural to a lot of people, but the ones that live the idea will truly suffer. Valentyn offers a genuine film that walks one through a situation shared by two people whose relationship is on the brink of collapse with convincingly written dialogues.
