Humans often tend to drown in a sea of thoughts. It seems to be one of the inherent characteristics of each of them. And this excessive thought can be caused by their own fears, complexes or even inner desires. They have the ability to capture a person's mind at any place or time and this is where encountering fears begins - when a person comes across not a real problem but a version he created within himself. Thoughts, control of which should be in our hands as a rule, often direct us and transform daily life into a constant tension. Maria Sichanin's student film, "Traffic Light" (2011) can be discussed in this format. It presents the illusions caused by a person’s inner, suspicious thoughts, both acutely and amusingly.
The story tells an unremarkable romantic relationship of a boy and girl, which, by a third person’s appearing becomes tensed, however, turns out to be the end of the film that this story is completely part of the boy’s fantasy and does not actually correspond to reality.
The film begins with a scene of two young men sitting in a taxi. They may be close friends, or complete strangers too. One of them (Sergo) flirts passionately with a married girl, which irritates the other (Giorgi) and he tries to avoid listening to this dialogue. Just then, at a traffic light, another taxi stops next to this one, where one of the main characters, Salome, is sitting. The audience sees what a harmonious relationship Giorgi and Salome will have in the future. They live together and enjoy their love in youth until Sergo appears in their lives and violates their peace.
One shot is noteworthy, in which, while Giorgi and Salome are hugging, Giorgi sees himself in the mirror with Sergo's image. This moment might indicate his fear of not being like Sergo - a hypocrite, a liar, a manipulator...
Another noteworthy moment is the lake scene, where Giorgi and Salome swim together, although at times Giorgi still presents the viewer with Sergo’s image. This renewed internal split personality of him points to his own personal imbalance.
The film reaches its climax when Sergo and Salome engage in an intimate act. At this time, Giorgi seems to be trying to kill Sergo but not the real one who is sitting next to him in the taxi but the one who exists within him and who he fights so hard throughout the film. At this point, the audience realizes that in reality it is not Sergo who is destroying the imaginary relationship between Giorgi and Salome and that the whole story is dedicated to Giorgi's internal struggle.
The denouement is reached when Giorgi returns to reality with a single yell. To the reality where he has not even said hello to Salome and where Sergo is a mere companion for him.
The idea of the film is quite interesting, the form of its presentation can even be considered a bit primitive. Seeing yourself in the mirror as someone else, struggling with fears, finally waking up from fantasies and showing the viewer that all this was just an illusion is probably one of the most worn-out ways to tell a story like this in cinema. Since the birth of cinema to the present day, manipulating the viewer through dreams or imagination has been quite relevant. Therefore, this surprise is no longer so effective and also causes less of a sense of surprise. Topics such as internal struggle, split personality, self-acceptance, etc., are such serious problems and spread on such a wide scale that the ways of expressing them should be quite diverse and should no longer be limited to one and the same place.
Nonetheless, all this does not mean that the work is unsuccessful. The plot twist scene turned out to be quite effective for a student film. Giorgi's split personality was also interesting, which was not depicted with the special skill of the cameraman or editor but with sound effects, which, of course, are the easiest ways to create a sense of tension in a particular shot. The sound was unprocessed in several frames. Several times, unwanted noise was introduced, which disrupts the technical linearity of the film. As for the acting, none of the actors should be particularly distinguished for their artistry. All three of them fit their roles quite acceptably.
Despite certain errors and plot or technical glitches, the nature of the film should be emphasized. The story is told in such a way that you could frown at some point while watching and even laugh at some point. The story develops so easily over the course of 11 minutes that you do not even bother with the feeling of tiredness.
It is clear how much work has been put into the film “Traffic Light.” The film would have been much stronger if the various components had been handled better and more convincingly, but the director and his film crew’s good creative potential is clearly evident.
Nino Dvali
