A2 ancillary task film review draft 1

1. Trapped
Month 2017
Directed By Grace Johansson
U.K. Certificate: 12. 5 mins.
Britishwriter– director
Grace Johansson’sfirst
short filmTrapped explores
the grittyissue of
Agoraphobiaandthe effect
it hason teenaged
Mackenzie,the protagonist
of the story. Stylistically,it’s
difficulttomake
comparisonswithother
short filmsaboutthe
subjectasso many of them
are muchmore
experimental…Johansson’s
filmismore realist.
Agoraphobiaisa more
faithful,if cautious
interpretationof mental
illnessand Trapped explores
withreal sensitivityhow
familyissuescanrealignthe
problemof leavingyour
ownhome and havinga
mental illnesslike
Agoraphobia.Havingonly
twocast members tofocus
on allows Johansson to
hone inon whatMackenzie
and Caroline are feelingand
by turnputs the audience
on a more directpath to
emphasisingwiththe
characters as theytry to
findtheirwayagain.
Johanssonmakesthe
challenge of azerobudget
workto her advantage and
createsthe type of gritty
realismcharacteristicof the
genre made famousby
directorssuchas KenLoach,
AndreaArnoldandMike
Leigh.The film’scaptivating
openingtothe title of the
filmwithMackenzie rooted
to herspot inthe living
room until she isforcedout
of the house bya set of
emergencycallsfromher
mother,the struggle is
evidentwithinMackenzie’s
attitude atthe fact that she
doesnotwant to leave and
that she isafraidbut she
overcomesherfearand
evenhelpsanotheryounger
girl. The minimalisticset
decorationof the home and
the fact that there isnot
much to distractfrom
Caroline andMackenzie
worksinJohansson’s
advantage duringthe
makingof her film.The
Mise en Scene givesthe
audience alookintothe
personalityof Mackenzie
and allowsusto see what
she islike withouthaving
the wordsfrom hermouth.
The Union Jack Draft
stopperwasclevertouse as
setdecorationbecause it
was anotherpartof the
struggle thatMakenzie had
to overcome toleave her
home. Johansson’sshort
filmisinsome wayssimilar
to herpreviouswork The
Woman who wasnever
Seen as the themesand
issuesbothcentre around
fearand Agoraphobia,this
givesthe audience
somethingfamiliarthat
theycan relate toif they
have seenJohansson’s
previousworkand
motivatesthemtowatch
more. The use of untrained
actors inTrapped is helpful
to the tone and style of the
film, withthe dialogue
becomingmore stuttered
and realisticthanitwould
have beenif the actor had
beentrained.Johansson’s
worklookspromisingand
will hopefullycontinueto
improve.
Producer AssistantDirector
Grace Johansson Gosta Johansson
Written By ProductionStudios
Grace Johansson JohanssonFilms
PhotographyBy HeavenProductions
Grace Johansson Cast
Edited By AmyBenton
Grace Johansson Sophie Benton
A modern, average house on the
outskirts of a small,common
looking London city. Mackenzie, a
teenage girl,sits alonestruggling
to cope with her Agoraphobia.She
receives a number of voicemails
about an urgent issuethat forces
her to face her fears and befriend
a lostchild named Caroline,who’s
lookingfor her mother, and they
face their fears together.
78. British Short FilmMonthly