Céline Roustan
A slice-of-life documentary following a very busy woman as she travels around NYC refilling PPE kits for businesses, hosts a support group and takes care of her mother, this could be an everyday story if it wasn’t for the fact that Leah Faria is on parole after being released from a twenty-two-year prison sentence. In his deeply-moving short Seven Hundred Fifty-Six, director Andree Ljutica (How To Say I Love You At Night) returns to S/W with a completely different film, which not only broadens the scope of his directorial voice, but captures the story of a woman with a new appreciation for her life and daily routine.
Seven Hundred Fifty-Six invites its audience to spend one day in the life of Leah, the 756th day since her release, if we’re being specific. However, before revealing this fact, Ljutica introduces us to her through a very intimate yet respectful lens. Shot on 35mm with beautiful cinematography, mostly handheld by Matt Klammer, Ljutica captures the beauty of Leah’s mundane routine, the light and energy she exudes as she goes from one task to the next. By the time the title card explaining her situation appears (14-minute into the film), it is because of how close we’ve begun to feel to Leah that it has such a powerful emotional impact. Following this with personal footage, much of which shot by Leah herself, and voiceover’s from other formerly incarcerated women, the film ends on a truly vulnerable and revealing note that really makes an impression.
“My own curiosity with the subject matter, attached to Leah’s profound magnetism were the catalysts for jumping in”
On screen, it is quite apparent that Leah and Ljutica built a rapport and trust. He shared that they met through friends, and it is by connecting with her that the idea of the film was born. Fuelled by her openness when it came to sharing her experience, the director reveals that: “My own curiosity with the subject matter, attached to Leah’s profound magnetism were the catalysts for jumping in”. Going back to “normal” life after being incarcerated is still a topic that is not properly addressed and with this film Ljutica showcases the perspective of someone experiencing it, humanizing the conversation without falling in the trap of exploiting her and her situation.
“This type of film, though short, can highlight the essential notion of humanity within this ongoing dialogue around prison reform” – Ljutica on the aims of his film
From the very beginning, Ljutica knew he didn’t want to touch on Leah’s past or use a conventional documentary approach to bring her story to screen. Before the title card and the personal footage, you’d be forgiven for assuming the film is a fiction, given how magnetic Leah is in front of the camera. With Seven Hundred Fifty-Six focused on her personal experience, a sensitive and subjective approach was needed and Ljutica gets the balance just right. However, while the craft is definitely impressive, and the visual language allows the film to paint a more emotionally insightful portrait, this is a documentary that gambles on the subject/participant to land emotionally and Ljutica’s filmmaking ensures that our time with Leah is incredibly compelling and poignant.
Before featuring on Short of the Week, Seven Hundred Fifty-Six premiered on Nowness and has since been featured on Directors Notes. Andree Ljutica is currently working on his feature debut titled Ameliorated.