Rob Munday

With the music industry coming up with ever inventive ways to promote artists and their work, the short film is becoming a popular go-to when it comes to creating something with great viral potential. The latest musicians to step into the short film arena are Wiwek & Skrillex with Still in the Cage – an energetic 21-minute journey of self-discovery written and directed by Jonathan Desbiens (aka Jodeb).

Set to music from Wiwek’s recently released The Free and Rebellious EP, Still in the Cage follows its trio of desperate heroines as they impulsively leave their homes, jobs and families in search of a better life. Journeying down the river in a stolen boat, with no supplies, the starving group finally find the legendary settlement they’ve been searching for, but all is not as they had hoped.

Shot in Bangkok, and some rural areas outside of the city, just 3-days after the concept was approved, Jodeb and his team had to really think on their feet and act quickly to bring their film to life.

“Pretty much the whole story that is currently in the film was on paper”, the director explains, “but as we spent time preparing it in Thailand, more inspiration came into play and gave the whole story a slightly different direction”.

“It’s fascinating to observe so many diverse reactions to the film”

Feeling at times as if it could descend into a Cannibal Holocaust homage or an Eli Roth film, then flipping things with some lively scenes of krump-fuelled insanity, Still in the Cage is a difficult film to read.

“You take what you want from it”, says Desbiens, “it’s fascinating to observe so many diverse reactions to the film. I feel like I already heard it all. Some find it artistic, profound, others dumb, I know some people were offended, etc. I love how some people don’t understand it, and it’s perfect. It’s meant to be felt anyway… just like music”

And ultimately, just like the music, Still in the Cage is a film that’s best enjoyed for what it is…a piece of entertainment. Try to overanalyse it, or read too much into it and you’ll quickly nullify the spirit of the piece.

“I simply wanted to spend some time on interesting, real characters and then have them go on a naive existential adventure that would lead them deep into the jungle”, Desbiens explains. “I didn’t want to take it too seriously, it was supposed to be fun, a bit smart and visually stimulating”.

[mic drop]