“I’m a lavishly paid actress” & “There’s nothing wrong with this longing” are a couple of quotes said by the main character Anna, who was played by Arianna Veronesi and is also the creator of this short film, ‘Glaistig’. These two quotes from symbolizes the struggles of one’s self-worth to the film industry.
Anna is an immigrant actress who is ambitious in her pursuits to becoming a Hollywood star. She would go through great lengths to try to fit the standards of what Hollywood wants in an actress, often torturing herself to fit into the dresses that is expected of the industry. When she falls into the trap of negative thinking of being unable to meet industry standards, she recounts a feminist poem that puts her into an artistic dream to bring her back to the present in self reclamation.
Glaistig really dives deep into the idea of the pressures surmounting to being the ideal actor in terms of features, accents, skillsets by directors to be casted for a film. From an interesting perspective, there are several scenes that build up from Anna’s young age of the demands of what she “should” be doing to get the perfect shot of what a director is looking for. The thing is in this industry, Anna received a lot of rejections and reasons for the rejections to build up the negative feedback that would hinder one’s confidence in their acting career.
To put things in a different perspective, the negative feedback is not just given by one director, but by many directors you encounter throughout your auditions. While the power of deciding who gets cast lies on the director, sometimes they may not know exactly what they want. Actors may potentially fall in that trap that they do not meet their standards every time they audition, and it gets to a point where they thing that there is something wrong with themselves given what they are told by multiple directors.
Anna is self-aware that she may be pulled by so many external opinions that is taking away from her being herself. Her dance and flow within the poetic dream she was recounting in her head was a medium she uses to attempt to restore faith and empowerment to herself. The movements of her body demonstrate the struggle and exchange of the energy between herself and to the film industry to find a proper balance and bring her back to the present moment of where she stands.
The dream sequence speaks volumes to one’s own battle from within when Anna hits a wall of potential self-destruction. And also from a female standpoint, it may be also borderline misogynistic as the demand from the director is requested at the male point of view. This doubles down on the pressure of not only struggling as an actor, but also as a female actor in the industry.
While it does not resolve the misogynistic standards brought upon by the directors, the short film does enough to bring a some awareness about the issue that plagued the industry. From a bigger picture, the main theme of Glaistig is more about female self-worth. That message is loud and clear towards the end of the short film and provides a nice balancing act between struggle and redemption of oneself.
Arianna Veronesi’s portrayal of Anna is a beautiful work of art and self-expression through the use of a few yet powerful lines, and mainly from the movement of her body. She makes you want to empathize the feelings of struggle and redemption within oneself if you were ever caught in limbo of your own being. Her character is a great representation for female empowerment and a relatable one for those who may feel the same way Anna feels, not only within the film industry, but as a human being.
For those who want to ride a wave of an emotional rollercoaster, ‘Glaistig’s’ 13-minute short packs a punch for you to feel what it feels like to be Anna. Be sure to check this one out, and there may be a follow-up article with an interview to find out more about Arianna Veronesi and her inspirations in making Glaistig.
by: Trevor Brooks