Rob Munday
Placing it’s viewers at the bedside of a paralysed woman, Julia Orlik’s Jestem tutaj (I’m Here) is one of the most emotionally devastating films you’re likely to see all year. Told via stop-motion, with some impressive lifelike character design, we stick by the side of this immobile wife/mother as her family fuss around her trying their best to care for their loved one. Simple in approach – the camera stays bedside focused on the woman throughout – with a complex, layered narrative, the impact this 15-minute film has is a testament to short film and all you can achieve in such a short run-time.
Opening with a black screen, I’m Here introduces us to its central family of characters as we hear multiple strained voices discussing an unidentified object which seems to have become stuck when they are trying to move it. As we soon discover, this cumbersome item was a new bed for the film’s central character, whose voice we haven’t and unfortunately won’t properly hear throughout the rest of the film.
Upon seeing the ailing mother on screen for the first time, the drooping mouth instantly informs us of what has happened to her and as the narrative unfolds, we begin to realise that her delicate condition is only going to worsen over time. As we witness her health deteriorate over the duration of the film, her family swarm around her, trying their best to make her comfortable and happy. The husband jokes about her new “sexy underwear” and tells her she’s beautiful, while the grandchildren are afraid to kiss her. They all have differing perspectives on what is right for their matriarchal figure, but they are unified by their love for her and all just trying their best in what is a difficult situation.
A doctor comes to check over the mother and assess her health
Created while studying at Lodz Film School, I’m Here started life as a very different film, with Orlik explaining (in conversation with Kaja Klimek) that originally she had planned to create a “dynamic film about a young protagonist, made in a light paper technique”. However, after witnessing first hand how the wife of her sick Uncle lovingly cared for him throughout this terrible time, she was reminded of how her Dad had also cared for his parents when they were ill and was struck by the universality of this experience. After then speaking to her mother, who is a nurse with experience of caring for the elderly, Orlik pivoted her focus and the concept for I’m Here was born.
With a script in place, Orlik matched her narrative with a distinct aesthetic centred around no camera movements or reframing and some impressive puppet design. Although Orlik candidly admits (again in conversation with Klimek) that the decision to tell the story without changing shot was somewhat inspired by the limited time she had to complete the film for her studies, it still feels like the ideal choice for the storyline as it presents this relatable tale from a new and original perspective.
The lack of camera movement not only ensures this is a tale of loss from the dying woman’s point-of-view, and not another story focused on a grieving family, it is also the perfect reflection of the protagonists situation. As she is trapped in her bed, and trapped in her body, we are trapped alongside her, Orlik and her team doing stellar work in ensuring she’s more than just an inanimate object through the “micro-expressions” of their central character. Shooting the film in the order it would be presented on screen, the director also decided that her puppet, like her character, should be wasting away and degrading. Again, it’s another inspired choice as the effect this withering marionette has for the viewers is deeply profound and adds an extra level of authenticity to the film.
Watching so many short films, when presented with a student film dealing with loss or grief it’s hard not to be pessimistic, as often you need life experience to handle the complexities of these themes with nuance and originality. I needn’t have been concerned with I’m Here, as Orlik tackles her subject matter with great tenderness and restraint, proving that keeping things simple can often yield the best results. We talk a lot within the S/W team about the longevity of a short film’s narrative and whether it sticks with you days after watching it, I’m Here ticks that box and many more, signalling Orlik as a filmmaker to definitely keep an eye on in the future. Her amusingly titled follow-up short This Will Not Be a Festival Film – a stop-motion about an animation student working on her graduation film – is currently playing festivals.