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Director Mark
Tapio Kines took a few days to direct “Portrait of a Pensive Lady,”
but damned if you can tell. Kines’ period drama comedy presents the life
and inner musings of someone from a completely different century and
yet, the introspect of a young Frau who is so high strung and filled
with the worry of her time that she can’t even relax long enough to take
a portrait. Setting down in 1662 Holland (I won’t ask why the two
characters speak English, don’t worry), the house Frau is subjected to a
portrait and worries about many things in her life. The plague, the
ensuing war, the apocalypse, scrubbing the floors, and even what she’ll
look like in the painting from a painter she doesn’t trust to even mix
paint.
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Elaine
Elizabeth Reid is charming as the young wife who is
hopelessly disgruntled at her predicament and is inclined to
compete with local wives, all of whom had their own
portraits done with much acclaim. Reid is very sweet, and
also very funny as she delivers the dialogue with a keen
sharp determination turning this into more of a dramedy than
drama. Director Kines presents a soft and very unassuming
period piece with much of the tone reliant on the small set
pieces and Reid’s own presentation as a woman from that
period. |
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The candles, mixed
with the interesting cinematography makes “Portrait” a very good looking
short, and it’s only improved by the score by Bradley Lehman who
convinces us that we’re in 1662 Holland, regardless of how little we see
of it. There’s not much story you can tell in only four minutes, but the
combined talents of production crew manage to push in a slew of baggage
and worries and fears perfectly characterizing our damsel and
successfully giving us some insight as to what 1662 may have entailed
for a subservient woman filled with worries and woes.
Four minute shorts
hardly ever accomplish a linear story, layered characters, and a
wonderful backdrop, but director Kines manages to perfectly provide us
with an insight into living in Holland in 1662, where women then weren’t
as different as they are now.
- For more
information on "Portrait of a Pensive Lady," and other shorts,
visit
the official website.
- You can now find "Portrait of a Pensive Lady" on Youtube.
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