Slap (2014)

 

Overview 

Slap (directed by Nick Rowland) is a short film about a teenage boy learning to express himself through the use of makeup and wearing feminine clothing. The conflict here is that the protagonist, Connor, is a well respected boxer in his community, and boxing is a sport known for its machismo and hypermasculinity. 

Set in a rough area of Liverpool, the film starts with Connor trying on makeup, trying to imitate the makeup in ripped up magazine photos. His father then calls him, and he panics and hides everything he was just using. The film abruptly cuts to him boxing, juxtaposing a traditionally more feminine passtime with a hypermasculine one, and signposting the key conflict in the film. 

Towards the end of the film, Connor becomes confident in his self expression and goes to a party dressed in women's clothing and wearing makeup. However, people think he's just joking, which frustrates Connor. His girlfriend Lola lashes out at him, and his friend Archie betrays him and spills his secret. 

The film ends with Connor back in the boxing ring, releasing all of his pent up anger and frustration on his opponent, seriously hurting him in the process. 

Mise-en-scene

Mise-en-scene is integral to this short, as the story is largely told through its use. A key element of mise-en-scene is the broken mirror Connor looks into. Firstly, it represents how broken up how he feels because he can't express his true self. When he isn't wearing feminine clothes, he doesn't really feel like he's looking at himself in the mirror. It also represents Connor's split identity. On the one hand, he's the hypermasculine, physically dominant boxer that his community sees him as. On the other hand, he feels his true expression is through the use of feminine articles of clothing, breaking people's perceived image of him. 

The colour palette throughout the films mise-en-scene is a dark and subdued combination of blues and greys. This allows Connor's makeup and clothing to stand out, representing the idea that for Connor, self expression through makeup is an escape from having to suppress himself at all other times. 

His makeup and feminine clothes are generally misfitted or poorly applied. This is an intentional choice as it shows Connor is still trying to find himself, and because he has to suppress his ideal self to others he has little to no guidance on how to actually apply makeup. 

Cinematography

Cinematography is the other key micro element in 'Slap'. When Connor is wearing his more masculine, public outfits the camera is handheld, giving it a natural shakiness and instability. This represents the instability Connor feels around his self image; he wants to be something else but public perception won't allow him to do so. 

This is contrasted to the static camerawork when Connor is in his room putting on makeup and trying feminine clothes. The still shots show that Connor is most at peace and comfortable when expressing himself, as opposed to having to conform to society's expectations for him.