STILL WATER SEXY + WET
British Award-Winning Short Film
The playful film Still Water is about an encounter between a gardener and mermaid. It is a 2015 British Urban Film Festival bonus short. Vicki Kisner is the director; Henry Garrett is Charlie, the gardener, and Jemma Moore is the mermaid. Kisner parallels the underwater movement of the mermaid and the quiet work of the gardener. The mermaid’s mystical properties are accentuated by underwater shots and her rise above the water.
It’s also a metaphor for the power of seduction. Charlie is drawn into the pond just as men and women gravitate toward each other. The seaweed that entangles Charlie is symbolic of the lust that seems inescapable. The mermaid disappears quickly and Charlie is left wondering whether his passion was rooted in reality or not.
The film is produced and written by Vicki Kisner and the director of photography is Matthew Muscat-Drago. The underwater shots are murky with the shaky-cam movements creating a sense of urgency. The performance is sensual and the mermaid’s make-up looks like a creature from Guillermo Del Toro’s oeuvre. There is a scene where the protagonist is stuck underwater, pulled down by seaweed, and the murky visuals disable the viewer and entrap the couple in the moment, where Charlie can’t breathe or move. The mermaid departs when she realizes she can’t seduce Charlie. Still Water’s style allows the viewer to watch closely and consider whether the world is fiction or reality. It’s a fun watch with flirty actors that make it sexy and magical all in one. PROVOKR invites you to watch and enjoy.
