The short film follows a mysterious girl who feels like an outcast in her high school where everyone wears masks. In class, she connects with a lesson about Plato's Allegory of the Cave and feels enlightened. Throughout the day, she observes her masked peers and sees things they miss. At the end, her own mask breaks, revealing her true self. She takes off her mask, smiling at her reflection and walking through school maskless, turning heads as the "enlightened one."

1. IDENTITY - SHORT FILM
ANALYSIS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikGV
WEvUzNM
By Ayan Magudia

2.  The opening line to the short film is “Today, I found the truth.”,
and is done as a voice over. This intrigues the audience in
finding out what this truth may be and what epiphany she
comes to. The short film begins in reverse. The girl in the
mask begins unmasked, but then the clip is reversed and the
audience see her put the mask back on and go back in the
direction from which she came. The sound affects used
during this reversal is sharp, and sinister, extenuating the
seriousness provoked by the opening line.

3.  The film begins in chronological order, when the mysterious
girl is sat at table. Here we can see that she is at school and
judging by herself and her peers: a high school. She sits
alone as a number of people walk past her [and the camera].
She is ignored and isolated, suggested she is an outcast, a
lonely character.

4.  Here, we find the mystery girl in a classroom. The key focus point here is the
content the teacher is delivering to the class. The words “Plato’s Allegory of
the Cave” are written on the board and the teacher goes on to talk about it.
In Plato’s allegory, he talks about human beings living in cave all there life,
lived in such a way that they cannot move their bodies and all they can see
in front of them is a dark wall. They have never been outside of this cave all
they know about life is this dark wall. However one day a slave is released
and he discovers a whole new world outside of this cave and because he is
now the enlightened one his job is to come and free those that are still
trapped in this cave. While the teacher explains this, the girl plays little
attention, flicking through the pages of her book [filled with intricate
drawings], it is not until the teacher says “because he is now the enlightened
one his job is to come and free those that are still trapped in this cave.” This
suggest that the girl resented with these words and feels a sense of
enlightened. At this point she tilts her head up and the camera zooms into
her, the score music is suspenseful and tension building, implying to the
audience that she will somehow be the enlightener.

5.  It is from the classroom scene, that we can clearly see
everyone around here is also wearing a mask. It is made
apparent that in this world: everyone is wearing a mask.
Generically a mask connotes a disguises of ones true
identity, perhaps as fear of rejection that ones true self would
not suffice, or in hopes to ‘fit in’ to societies expectations.

6.  As the girl walks through the corridors, she see’s this poster.
This suggests that this world in which everyone wears a
mask, is an analogy for our own as it represents societies
social implications of what ‘beauty’ is as is interjected though
media. Often what it is deemed beautiful is very particular
and specific, a look that is often unobtainable for the majority
of people. This is suggested in the poster as it writes this is
what beautiful looks like: suggesting there is a singular
transcript of beautiful. This implication can be seen as
damaging and negative as it is likely to make the constrains
of society feel inadequate.

7.  The mystery girl walks through the corridor, observing her
peers. She see’s the people divide into their ‘cliques’ and
notices a series of notable events. This reinforces the
connation that she is the enlightened one, as whilst everyone
is absorbed by there own doings, she see’s what everyone
else misses.

8.  An interesting element of this short film, is this scene where
the girl in a purple mask, takes off her mask in place for
another one as she goes to talk to a group of people. It
suggests she literary takes off one face, and applies another.
The girl a has need to modify herself, her personality
dependant on who she is talking to. This implies insecurity, a
low self esteem, and a need for acceptance.

9.  The following scene, returns to her sat at the cafeteria table
alone. She looks around at her peers, sat in groups, each
group wearing the same coloured mask; suggesting they are
similar and belonging of each other; or perhaps a lack of
individuality

10.  The mystery girls mask is unique, different to everyone else’s
suggesting a sense of individuality and uniqueness to her. It
further supports the impactions of her being the enlightened
one of them all as she stands out. Here, as she sits in the
cafeteria [as she was in the beginning of the short film] she is
again watching everyone around here. The sounds of there
discussions and laughter fade to a low murmur in the
background but all collide together creating a sense of
distortion and drowning. At this point, the story has turned full
circle. The score music becomes up- tempo suggesting she
is to fulfil her sense

11.  We find here in the same position as she had began, staring
at herself in the mirror, with a broken mask. The broken mask
suggests her disguise is crumbling and her true identity is
breaking through. She is clearly disturbed by this as
reinforced by the shaking of the camera and the dramatic
score music

12.  The mystery girl, takes off her mask, revealing her face,
smiling proudly at her reflection. This is implied to be a
important act as no one else is seen without a mask and the
build up in her taking the mask off was slow and emotional. It
follows with a voice over saying “Today the truth found me.”
This suggests the mask was a lie, and now her truth, is
revealed bare to the world.

13.  The girl walks out into her school, for everyone to see. As
she passes, every head turns, connoting the magnitude and
daringness of her removal of her mask. It is also exhibits her
as the enlightened one, as the audience see her act, as an
act of bravery and heroism, others in the film see it as
absorbed and outrageous.