Film Review : The Role of a Life Time
The Role Of a Lifetime is a short film which delivers a powerful message backed by some solid performances by its key cast Véronique PICCIOTTO and Olivier HÉMON. The film establishes its premise from the very first scene.
“When an aspiring actress dreams to make it in showbiz meets a powerful man from industry, both are not aware of the catastrophic consequences of the choices/actions they take. At one point there is always a price to pay ?”
The film has a powerful narrative. It addresses prevalent issues of sexual harassment, casting couch and dark side of show biz industry. Showbiz has been used as a backdrop to raise an important question about one’s vulnerabilities and how people take advantage of it for their own benefit. Although it is a woman-centric film the subject is relatable to everyone. Many young actors are made to feel that their refusal would be detrimental to their career and conforming to, will give them an edge over others in the industry. They are made to believe that this it is normal and without complying to it, the dream of becoming a star is virtually impossible. The number of cases we hear about harassment (of mostly women) in recent times and past is alarming. Many victims go into depression, live a low profile life or commit suicide due to such incidents.
The film showcases the vulnerability of an actor who in-spite of having great talent, need to go through sexual harassment. It shows how a woman in the showbiz industry is manipulated by men in a powerful position. Aspiring actors devote themselves to enter into showbiz. Without a clear direction and support system, they feel getting lost in the crowd and their options to progress in the glamour industry diminish. The film clearly shows the adverse impact of manipulation on the mind of its victim.
Coming to short film’s technical aspects, film’s initial background score, set up, camera angles, pacing and editing do justice to the subject and content, creating a right psychological impact on the viewer. There is a strong POV shot in the film which narrates the story of a victim in a few seconds with sharp editing, lighting, effective use of camera angles and background score. Some more background score could have been added to elevate the level of tension between the characters further. However, It is subject to one’s creative vision.
The sarcastic narrative of the film helps in establishing the immediate connection with the audience and makes the pain and misery of the lead character relatable. The way lead female character (in a scene) portrays different roles narrating her horrendous experience with a sense of sarcasm makes the narrative even more engaging and interesting.
This film highlights some important issues and leaves you with so many questions about the so-called human society? For a long time, tv and film stars have shared their hair-raising stories of sexual harassment on set and how producers and directors abuse their power. It’s a shame still such people exist and innocent actors have to go through this painful experience.
The film has an unexpected climax. All the more reason for the audience to watch it till its end. To conclude, a well-made film which can help to raise awareness about the social issues of sexual harassment and casting couch. The film supports woman empowerment and an empathetic attitude of one woman towards other women. Besides, the film raises important questions about the society we live in, where someone’s dreams and aspirations are ruined and shattered by a bunch of exploiters.
On a positive side, due to the growing number of sexual harassment and casting couch incidents in showbiz, some organisations have taken positive steps. For instance :
New rules to guard against the “casting couch” have been agreed by four US TV networks. ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox have agreed with the largest actors union in America to limit auditions in private hotel rooms and homes.
SAG-AFTRA, which represents 160,000 actors, called for an end to such meetings in its Guideline No. 1 in April 2018.
The union’s president, Gabrielle Carteris, said the goal was to eliminate the potential for “predators to exploit performers behind closed doors under the guise of a professional meeting”.
#MeToo movement is another positive step. It is a movement against any kind of sexual harassment and sexual assault. The movement began to spread virally in October 2017 as a hashtag on social media in an attempt to demonstrate the widespread prevalence of sexual assault and harassment, especially in the workplace.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_Too_movement
The Role of a Life Time is a message-driven film as it directly relates to #MeToo movement.
To conclude, a Captivating and Inspiring film which successfully conveys its message.
