This short really stayed with me after viewing it and made for interesting dialog among my friends and I. We agreed that the director successfully displayed the behind the scenes life of the Otaku character well and created an empathetic look into his daily life of hunting for attention and acceptance in society. I personally felt that the women playing the subtle antagonists was a great touch because they weren't overtly outrageous and cruel but their behavior was just enough to put you in an uncomfortable place and feel a sense of empathy for the main character. The dreary scenery also added to his bleak existence, and the treatment he endured from each passerby. The short as a whole was very well done and demonstrated an authentic human experience that we all can relate to.
3 Reviews
A gripping, empathetic tale
tiarscott1 October 2014
Warning: Spoilers
A dark, compelling short film, 'OTAKU' tackles the underlying issues of judgmental behavior we're unfortunately succumbing to within this current society. The director did a great job at addressing the looming topic of quiet discrimination by opting to show the private life of the main character as he interacts with the world outside his apartment, the world that only sees him as some guy in an odd costume. I feel that by showing his day before and after leaving his home adorned in the anime suit brought viewers closer to fully understanding his aspirations of being acknowledged and plights of receiving unwanted attention. Overall, 'OTAKU' was a joy to view and really put me in the shoes of the main character as he yearned to simply exist.
A Wonderful Film for Social Commentary
morganswank81 October 2014
Warning: Spoilers
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
Otaku is a wonderfully crafted film that manages to tackle a controversial modern depiction of structural violence in just 8 minutes of time. Storyline aside, the makers of Otaku should be congratulated on the usage of cinematic devices to create a seamlessly uncomfortable tone adding to the overall theme of the story. Although it is set in New York City, smart cinematography choices and usage of a confined, dark color palette display an almost dystopian urban society feel to the entire film. In addition, the subtle yet specific background music allows a suspenseful buildup that compliments the uncomfortable tone of the film for its entirety.
The story itself is a relatively simple concept that we are all too familiar with yet frequently ignore. The film follows the protagonist Alistair Daniels (Guenzani) as he walks the streets of New York in a homemade, albeit terrible, character costume looking to make some quick cash. He is then interrupted by two confident female strangers Jenn (Bru) and Ashleigh (Brooks) who subjugate and humiliate him with a series of semi-derogatory photographs for their own amusement. The film ends with Alistair silently cleansing himself from his costume and the night in a dingy, dirty bathroom.
From the viewer perspective it is easy to form loyalty to the blissfully unaware Alistair while the two girls judge him from a distance then proceed to dehumanize him with inappropriate photographs and sarcastic comments on his appearance and costume. The interaction is wholly uncomfortable, but it becomes apparent that the reason is because as a viewer it is entirely relatable from both perspectives. Therein lies the brilliance of the film that provides the perfect space for social discourse. The film ends with Alistair as a naked and completely vulnerable version of himself. We see a clean, normal-looking, even attractive, man descending under the water to rid himself of the night's events. It becomes painfully clear that he is in fact just an ordinary man and in that moment becomes a symbolic martyr of discrimination, social classism, and to an extent institutionalized elitism prevalently found in modern society.
Overall the film is a great piece of work that calls for internal analysis of one's own attitudes towards others and society as a whole as well as the opportunity to bring out discourse and consequent change. I can't wait to see what else O'Reilly and her team have in store in the future.
Otaku is a wonderfully crafted film that manages to tackle a controversial modern depiction of structural violence in just 8 minutes of time. Storyline aside, the makers of Otaku should be congratulated on the usage of cinematic devices to create a seamlessly uncomfortable tone adding to the overall theme of the story. Although it is set in New York City, smart cinematography choices and usage of a confined, dark color palette display an almost dystopian urban society feel to the entire film. In addition, the subtle yet specific background music allows a suspenseful buildup that compliments the uncomfortable tone of the film for its entirety.
The story itself is a relatively simple concept that we are all too familiar with yet frequently ignore. The film follows the protagonist Alistair Daniels (Guenzani) as he walks the streets of New York in a homemade, albeit terrible, character costume looking to make some quick cash. He is then interrupted by two confident female strangers Jenn (Bru) and Ashleigh (Brooks) who subjugate and humiliate him with a series of semi-derogatory photographs for their own amusement. The film ends with Alistair silently cleansing himself from his costume and the night in a dingy, dirty bathroom.
From the viewer perspective it is easy to form loyalty to the blissfully unaware Alistair while the two girls judge him from a distance then proceed to dehumanize him with inappropriate photographs and sarcastic comments on his appearance and costume. The interaction is wholly uncomfortable, but it becomes apparent that the reason is because as a viewer it is entirely relatable from both perspectives. Therein lies the brilliance of the film that provides the perfect space for social discourse. The film ends with Alistair as a naked and completely vulnerable version of himself. We see a clean, normal-looking, even attractive, man descending under the water to rid himself of the night's events. It becomes painfully clear that he is in fact just an ordinary man and in that moment becomes a symbolic martyr of discrimination, social classism, and to an extent institutionalized elitism prevalently found in modern society.
Overall the film is a great piece of work that calls for internal analysis of one's own attitudes towards others and society as a whole as well as the opportunity to bring out discourse and consequent change. I can't wait to see what else O'Reilly and her team have in store in the future.
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