Review | Chayamiti's pandemic masterpiece Window

In this year's edition of the SHIFT Film Festival, the Youth Jury got the opportunity to receive a free-of-charge coaching by the film critic Bjorn Gabriels who taught the basics of film analysis and how to write a good film review. The Audience Award winner, Window, by Inara Chayamiti, was one of the 12 films which has officially been selected to the festival's Short Film Competition. After having attended the workshops, Youth Jury member Maya de Weerdt reviews this crowd-pleaser.

"Only God knows when we will meet again." That is an important sentence in Inara Chayamiti's short film Window. A film about something we all had to deal with: the desperately long and untenable quarantine. No one knew exactly when it would be over and what the future would bring. From different perspectives, windows, Chayamiti presents similar stories which we can all relate to.

In this film, five windows are opened to people's daily lives during the quarantine. Their lives are paused due to the unexpected coronavirus. Firstly, the film shows that time passes slowly, and despair is great. People are looking for activities and ways to earn money. Secondly, it shows that there is also room for rest and reflection. For example, the importance of our relationship with others. Finally, we can reflect on all the negativity in the world and take action based on this.

Full of overarching images, the simple visual material makes a strong whole with a good story as a basis. The purity of the film provides a realistic and honest representation of the situation. The characters are themselves which makes the story very believable and vulnerable.

The main message is: "We learned that we don't need much to be happy." Family has become more important in this exceptional time. So, while the pandemic has separated us, it has also brought us closer together and proved the value of love.

Chayamiti has created a beautiful whole with few elements. She proves that a good movie doesn’t need an expensive camera nor professional actors. In short, a pandemic masterpiece and a versatile reflection of a current issue.

(c) All visual material is used with the filmmaker's permission.