When listening to Ausencia for the first time, I was immediately impacted by the inescapable sense of turmoil and desperation in the track. The song inspired me to create a narrative using dance-based personifications to depict the convoluted relationship that Gisela has with herself. The first persona that I developed was played by a butoh dancer, who serves as the driving force behind Gisela’s actions. She represents the inner demons that haunt Gisela and is ultimately the cause for her intense need to resolve her inner torment. My aim with the first half of the film was to establish this relationship and set the stage for the second half of the narrative to unfold. My objective for the final scene was to create a visual motif for the cyclical search for resolution within. As night falls, Gisela steps into the arena she has prepared where she orchestrates the ultimate battle between two projections of herself. As the conflict intensifies, the butoh dancer reappears dancing in front of the arena, thus revealing the parallel relationships and allowing the three forces to collide in one monumental dance. In the end, the two projections begin to move in conjunction with one another and seamlessly make their way back to their opening positions, readying themselves to start the battle over and over again.
>>> Directors Cut Coming Soon >>>
Dir: Amy Gardner
DOP: Andy Catarasino
Producers: Anna Lauren Tufekci + Alec Battistoni
Dancers: Layne Willis and Emily Ullrich
Butoh Dancer: Yokko
Choreography: Amy Gardner
Production Designer: Pili Weeber
Stylist: Suna Kazic
Make Up: Ashley Danielle
Gaffer: Elliott Travis
Steadicam: Ryan Toussieng
Color: Carlos Flores Espinoza
Premiere: FLAUNT MAGAZINE
