UNDO
Film Session(s)
Venue(s)
16 minutes, United Kingdom, 2014
Emilia is a twenty years old who suffers from depression and who is hypochondriac. When she meets Neil, who is nearly twenty years older, while working in an East London Bohemian Cafe she falls for him following the cliche that younger women are happier with older men.
As an artist she is exploring the misogyny in religious representations and have the habit to deconstruct and over-analyse everything, quickly her relationship with Neil comes under scrutiny and is challenged. In a comical sex scene Emilia, after whacking Neil's face with the Scum Manifesto take charge of the couple sex life... i.e. No sex.Neil just wants, what is in his mind, a normal relationship based on a regular amount of sex that is not getting, but Emilia is not happy and doesn't comply.
Her french live in landlady is guiding her wisely and even rescues Emilia from a failed suicide attempt. She ends up by persuading Emilia to go out with her to check on younger men. Neil feeling insecure threatens to leave Emilia. Emilia rushes into the opportunity to quit a relationship which makes her miserable as Neil reflects on his place as a man in a world where 'real man' values are crumbling.
About Undo, Director Fred Fabre says:
"I approached UNDO as I would have wrote an essay about the end of a long term relationship between a young woman and a man nearly 20 years older. The only time the couple, Emilia and Neil, feels something again is when it all ends. Their mechanical delivery of the lines and the one of Canelle, the friendly landlady, is to give a 'read' quality, focus on the argument and highlight the only moment where the characters feel alive again at breakup point.
I was interested in blowing apart the time frame of the film, again to focus on the argument, building the narrative around the night club scene giving a sense of Emilia wanting to regain her space. The acting in the club by the young men, being 'normal', is Emilia's metaphor for feeling a live again while Neil is sinking into desperation. Although UNDO is inspired by reading academic feminist works, my ambition was to make a film challenging one of the male narrative which can shape relationships.
Director(s): Fred Fabre
Producer(s): Fred Fabre