Céline Roustan
While the name of this short is definitely a mouthful, rare are titles that capture the emotional dimension of a film with such an effective metaphor. In writer/director Sofia Banzhaf’s I Am in the World as Free and Slender as a Deer on a Plain, we are treated to one of the most accurate on-screen depictions of modern dating for a young millennial woman that you’re likely to see all year.
As the title suggests, the main perspective presented in Banzhaf’s film is that of a young woman who is unafraid to explore her own sexuality and desires. With the aim of exploring these specific lifestyle choices, Banzhaf explains that her lead is “subject, not object”, adding that since female characters are still heavily sexualized on-screen she “wanted to make sure that we’re turning the gaze around”. Penning a series of – let’s be honest – incredibly awkward encounters from this perspective manages to make this rather mundane premise refreshing, authentic and extremely engaging.
“It was important to me that the film never takes itself too seriously”
The tone Banzhaf injects in her film is an important key to its success. While some would push for the occasional comedic moment to engage the audience, the film never feels contrived and is actually quite impressive for how accurate its depiction of the dating scene is. Instead, Banzhaf employs the inherent absurdity of life to inject humor into her film. Contrasting this with her character’s detached behavior, the director amplifies the awkwardness of it all, banking (successfully) on the relatability of the encounters to connect with the audience. “It was important to me that the film never takes itself too seriously and allows the viewer their own interpretation of what they’re seeing unfold in front of them”.
“We had five locations and two shoot days . . . So we set three of the five locations in one single apartment” – Banzhaf on the challenges of production
Visually, the production expertly echoes the main character’s state of mind and how she goes almost nonchalantly through the dates, experiencing different things, yet always remaining in control. Micaela Robertson’s performance as the young unnamed woman perfectly compliments the tone of Banzhaf’s writing, with little dialogue she manages to build her character through subtle reactions to the situations in which she finds herself. Whether in the midst of a date or simply walking down the street, she makes her character incredibly relatable and easy to root for, nailing both the humor and the deeper layers of the screenplay simultaneously.
I Am in the World as Free and Slender as a Deer on a Plain premiered at the 2019 edition of TIFF, and went on to be selected at multiple festivals including the 2020 edition of the Palm Springs ShortFest. It is Sofia Banzhaf third short film as a director, she is also known for her work in front of the camera, most recently seen in CBC Gem’s The Communist’s Daughter.