Mentalese Express (2023)

Monologue elevator

Two people meet regularly going to the office in the building elevator. They end up noticing each other but do not dare speak. He cannot speak chinese and she expects him to make the first move this being a conservative society and so forth. When they realize they'd noticed each other he is afraid to be labelled a stalker and does not dare look at her while she keeps dressing up more and more in order to attract his attention.

This short film touches upon so many things while riding the elevator and listening to the pair's inner thoughts: the crush they both feel, the society pressure to be extremely respective of the woman to the point of being afraid to talk to her or even look at her, the language barrier and their own shyness. While she tries to catch his attention with little gestures, he is panicked at the idea of being considered stalker and worse. And that is what this short film is about: how do you approach a woman in today's society where the majority of men are decent human beings but all are considered a menace? You withdraw inside your own bubble and wait! And that's what the ML here did.

The format is original. We see them waiting for and riding the elevator and only that: he's always dressed in the same suit while she changes her outfits, her hair, her make up trying to encourage him. But that has the opposite effect: the prettier she gets, the less courage he has. He fell for her when she looked like a cliché secretary with serious glasses and strict hairstyle: he noticed a mole on her neck and that was enough to seduce him!

This is a film about introverts, apparently. I guess you can say that in as much as he is bound by current society rules and she by cultural traditions and therefore they both expect the other one to act first. Which eventually happens and she makes the first step when he is just about to give up. If this does not say so much about the society today, I do not know what does!

But, THIS IS ONLY WHAT I SAW. Maybe you view it differently: then kudos to the director for telling a story on multiple levels! First and foremost, this is a cute beginning of a love story between two shy individuals.

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