Private Project

Stuck

Stuck is a short film inspired by the feeling of being entrapped in your own emotions with the sense of no escape. This film is about Jules, a college student that is dealing with a big emotional load. In an attempt to clear her head, she decides to take a walk in the woods. This "therapeutic" walk turns out to be her dismay as she gets trapped in another dimension. In this reality, everything seems familiar, but there is something sinister in the atmosphere; her own emotions coming back to haunt her in this run with no foreseeable escape.

  • Constantina Bauloye
    Director
  • Constantina Bauloye
    Writer
  • Constantina Bauloye
    Producer
  • Julianne Elizabeth Borger
    Key Cast
    "Girl"
  • Luz Orozco Ortiz
    Key Cast
    "Narrator"
  • Vivien Lee
    Production Assistant
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Thriller, Drama
  • Runtime:
    5 minutes 17 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 9, 2021
  • Country of Origin:
    Greece
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Smith College
Director Biography - Constantina Bauloye

Constantina Bauloye is a Greek film enthusiast and creator. She currently studies Engineering and Film at Smith College.

She also has a special interest on how movement and colors are captured on camera and has directed and edited a variety of dance videos.

Constantina has also produced short films that usually deal with self-exploration.

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Director Statement

Stuck is a film that deals with several issues that affect our modern society. The story is about Jules, a college student that is in an emotionally vulnerable position. Mental health is important, and it needs to be addressed and dealt with promptly. Jules being in this state want to escape her own world by taking a walk in the woods only to get trapped in another world that alludes to her own subconscious.

In order to represent this subconscious, color grading as well as makeup were used. The tones in the beginning of the film are warmer when we observe Jules as she is walking around and going about her day. The colors only change when we dive into this alternate world to more cool, greenish undertones. I find that green can be interpreted in various ways depending on the way it is used in media. In Stuck, green hues are used to represent decay and create an eerie and menacing atmosphere.

Moreover, these green hues also provide commentary on the impacts of climate change and the damage that humans cause to nature. Hollywood in general tries to implicit messages on the socio-economical society and their effect to ecological issues. It is common in film franchises to observe more capitalist manner that drifts the viewer into more consumer habits rather than provide commentary on what has existed around them long before they even existed. Hollywood has the power to monopolize the market and advance consumerist culture, as it already does. However, there has been an effort to create space for the environment and media to be studied together and how more ecological mindsets need to be represented. In Stuck, radioactivity seems to be the main reason for this decay, which is a man-made cause of destruction.

Finally, I think that the makeup even if subtle also tries to tell a story about how Jules really feels on the inside, that is exhausted. I feel like issues such as mental health as well as climate change need to be touched upon more in film, as it is a form of media that is consumed daily. Through this short I aim to raise some awareness on how it may feel like to be stuck in your own mind and how scary and disorienting it can be, as well as put some emphasis on how human interactions with the environment can cause harm. It is an open-ended film, but I hope it can raise questions and invoke discussions on such matters.