A short-film exploring anxiety and self-expression through dance and surrealistic visuals.
The Film
Trailer
Behind The Scenes
Synopsis
We meet Sam, a dancer battling his crippling anxiety, and Cathy, a dance teacher trying to push the right buttons. Will Sam be able to bloom into the dancer that he desires to be with Cathy's help?
Discordance (or The Mirror Dancer) is a labour of love and an achievement of community support. This was a crowdfunded project created through the collaboration of a diverse group of individuals early in their narrative filmmaking journeys. We are exploring the power of self-expression through dance. Its surrealistic visuals and emotive storytelling offer viewers a chance to reflect on their own journeys.
The idea and themes were influenced by films about obsession to achieve a dream, most notably‘Whiplash’ (2014) and ‘Black Swan’ (2010).
Director's Bio
Aum Patel is a London-based writer, director. He combines his study of magic, a career in computer graphics, and a strong cultural heritage to create films from a weirdly unique perspective. He aspires to create films that combine the magical into reality, with the goal of best depicting the complexity of the human experience via a visual medium.
The despair of a comedian bombing on stage, a magician unable to deliver an experience, and a dancer unable to wow. This story originates from the personal struggle that creatives go through when exhibiting the art they create, and the fear of how people will respond to the performance they have practised, in isolation, for hours on end.
Characters
Sam
Sam is a man who has always had self-doubt. He uses dance as a creative outlet, his eye for detail and adherence to doing things “properly” gives him technical profficiency, but lacks finnesse. He is someone who goes at things solo, keeping to himself, and focusing on his craft, but missing out on the immense joy received from exhibiting his creativity.
CATHY
Cathy has been dancing and competing since a young age. She grew to a mindset of needing to be perfect in the eyes of those that judge her, pushing herself to a breaking point. She lost her love for the art form, leaving Cathy with no idea how to express herself with honesty, struggling with self-identity. After a long struggle, she now runs classes at the dance studio, crafting the best out of the dancers that come, whilst ensuring to instill a healthier relationship with dance, one she still struggles with.
