Childhood is a crucial phase in life that plays a very powerful role in shaping the mind. It is the experiences and the learnings from this period that a person retains all life long, often shaping his destiny. This is the time to sow the right seeds that will in time provide the fruits for a meaningful life. But, this is also the time that the weeds invade the fertile soil that is the young minds. Pain experienced during childhood is neither easily forgotten nor forgiven. The thorns of anger and resentment can embed themselves so deeply in young minds that it can make them bitter for a lifetime.
‘Kold’ is a short film by director Andrew Vandaele. Andrew uses four stories to create childhood sketches of neglect, loneliness and pain. The cinematography, the colour palette in use and the set dressings recreate the cold of the mortician’s workspace where the story is set in. The director also makes good use of stage space to move his characters around with some interesting camera movements and transitions. The director creates a space that can extend beyond its boundaries without the use of any gimmickry.
‘Kold’ deals with emotions like loss, loneliness and neglect that are never easy to communicate. Sometimes these hurts can stay dormant in the mind for decades on end before they find the strength to make themselves heard. Sometimes, it is only when these emotions become public that they find others like themselves dealing with similar challenges in the unlikeliest of places.
