Tight Jeans (2008)

'Tight Jeans' is a wonderfully simple short directed by Destiny Ekaragha. Through comedy it explores issues about race and clashing cultures, all from the perspective of three black teens waiting for a lift to a party. As they begin to become impatient waiting on their ride, a white teen walks past wearing impressively skinny jeans; instantly sparking debate on various different topics. From 'How can a man wear jeans that tight?', to 'It's scientifically proven, white men got smaller dicks than us!', this film has something for everyone. Jokes aside, I love this film for its simplicity. It's certainly dialogue heavy but it works because the conversation feels real, the world feels real, the people feel real. It works because everything about it feels like we're eavesdropping on a real conversation in London. It does also tackle some heavier topics, such as colonisation and slavery, but it is all seen through a light hearted lense. This is entirely intentional and truly intelligent writing; Destiny Ekaragha herself says 'I think sometimes laughter is the best way to talk about serious issues, because it stays in your head longer'.

The mise-en-scene in this film both creates a deep sense of verisimilitude and a visual divide between the characters. From the opening scene, Destiny is using mise-en-scene to tell us that clothes are important to the narrative of this film. Constant shots of clothes stalls and what different people are wearing culminates in a sign displaying 'Men's Trousers', instantly honing in on a central thematic idea. Our three main characters are all wearing baggy jeans, bright jumpers and trainers; i.e. they all have practically the exact same style. This is contrasted to the dark, skinny jeaned 'Emo' teen that walks by, signalling the stylistic and cultural divide between them. Destiny also adds another layer of meaning using mise-en-scene; Theo, typically the voice of reason, is wearing a blue jumper, a colour often associated with calm and wisdom; Joseph is wearing a red jumper, and is impatient and loud; and finally Marcus, a sort of mediator between the two, is wearing orange, a neutral colour between the starkly opposite red and blue.

The cinematography and editing in this short is largely very simple. It follows all the rules of continuity editing, never breaking the 180 degree rule and using techniques like establishing shot, mid shot, close up; their conversation introduced by a wide establishing shot slowly dollying in on the main characters, setting the scene as a London council estate. All this does is to increase our sense of verisimilitude. It wants us to believe in the world and not be distracted by any expressionistic editing or cinematography, but instead focus on the wonderfully subtle and real performances.

The performances in this film are deceptively simple. There are no stakes, no real extreme emotions, nothing for an actor to really show off their range on. And yet, in a way, what these three do is harder than any of that. They perform long sequences of dialogue, practically unbroken for almost ten minutes, and never once did I feel that this wasn't just a normal, real conversation. Their facial expressions, delivery and tone are subtle but intensely effective at creating the reality Destiny Ekharaga intended; adding to and really making this film as brilliant as it is.