Askjell 'Half Empty But Happy' by Sophia + Robert
Sophia + Robert's epic six-part series for Askjell culminates in a whirlwind romance in Half Empty But Happy.
Starting where we left off in The First Goodbye, female lead Tin thrashes in the pool, captured in lo-fi underwater shots, before we see her in an apartment, being filmed by her love interest. Her wings are gone, perhaps suggesting that she isn't in such a rush to get away. She has found love, and everything in the first minute or so leads us to believe that this is an equal and complete romance.
Through unusual, wide-angle shots, we see various displays of affection and the couple clowning around in different costumes, having the time of their life. As the story progresses, however, cracks start to appear. As Tin revisits the beach, she starts to obsess over the rocks, the location, the air. The male character walks into the pool where we last saw Tin, and starts to shiver erratically as he smokes a cigarette. He isn't accustomed to this life, and the cracks are starting to show.
Slumped outside on a graffiti-covered wall, the couple's faces are stained with makeup around their eyes and face, a huge contrast to their natural and bare beauty at the beginning. Experimenting with different colours, different costumes and different personalities, the pair can't seem to make things fit.
The ending depicts them both with their heads in the air, breathing deeply as a light burns white onto the screen. We aren't given a tight ending in a neat package, it's very much open to interpretation, which is the beauty of the Sophia + Robert's work. A stunning way to complete an ambitious project.
PRO Credits
Credits
Director | Sophia + Robert |
Producer | Gwilym Lewis-Brooke |
Producer | Ersan Beskardes |
Production Manager | Samia Ahmed |
1st AD | Rosie Owen |
Director of Photography | Frankin Dow |
Focus Puller | Andreea Gruioniu |
Wardrobe | Verity May Lane |
Hair & Make-up | Iulia-a Roman |
Other credits | 3RD ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: FREDDIE WRIGHT RUNNER / DRIVER: CLIVE WAITE RUNNER RUBEN KUMMER RUNNER: PIER T CHIRICO RUNNER: FINLEY FLACK RUNNER: LEON RYDER-POTTER RUNNER: CARRIE D-FORTH ART DEPARTMENT RUNNER: THEA MILFORD LOADER: JUAN MINOTTA ELECTRICIAN: JAMES LEECH ELECTRICIAN: GREG PROBERT ELECTRICIAN: MATT SIMMONS PRODUCTION DESIGNER: LUCY COOPER ART DEPT ASSISTANT APRIL WERNHAM SENIOR SFX TECHNICIAN MATS RIVENES SITE MANAGER JODIE WHITTAKER |
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