Stagnate (2002) User Reviews (3)

What's It About ?

[Theo Robertson · 5/10 · 1 November 2005]

This centres around a sectary working at a firm called Funtime Inc but that's about all I can tell you because the narrative didn't make much sense to me and it's as if director Miranda Bowen is trying to film a shampoo advert ! The phone rings , the sectary picks up the phone then we get surreal scenes where the sectary is in a tropical rain forest surrounded by exotic animals where she's at one with nature

I notice the other comments are similar to mine . I think the problem with making short films is that it's perceived as a director's medium . Like a feature length movie a short must have a decent script in order for it to work and that's the problem with STAGNATE - The audience are not drawn into the story

Strange. Simple. Sweet. Slow. Surprising? er no.

[F1ame · 5/10 · 2 September 2002]

Short story about: A receptionist sits a lonely life with her plants.

It is a sweet little story, but it just didn't click with me. I can see how the script would have inspired a reader. However the visual tale is a bit to easy to see coming, and thus you're at the end before the film.

There will be plenty who like this quirky fable, and maybe relate. Unfortunately not me.

Good imaginative idea but not a great story

[bob the moo · 2 September 2002]

A bored secretary in the holiday firm Funtime Inc spends her time looking after the plants around her. The plants are the only break in the grey monotony around her. However when her doodles of a spiralling forest continue to draw themselves it is only the start of a creative process that will see her removed from her dull form.

This was one of the short film entered into the orange Short Film Award 2002 and was my least favourite. The plot is very basic and has nowhere meaningful to go. I felt that it should be a metaphor for something but this wasn't clear. The imagination behind the script is clear and undeniable but it left out detail. The lack of detail makes it a too-simple tale of beauty in a grey world, but I didn't feel like I knew the character well enough.

I know this is a tall order in 5 minutes, but that is the challenge of a short film! The actress in the lead is OK but has little to do except change. The actual transformation is well done and shows that the visual imagery was the most important element to the makers.

Overall this is worth watching once to see, but really it is a good idea that fails to be transformed into a good little short.