Art and the expression of art can be presented in many forms of medium, such as live on stage, busker festivals, music, dance, design, painting, or on film. Usually, these mediums are used together in combination as a way to use more than one skillset to create something wonderful. The Chinese short film ‘Sleep Talking (囈語)’ is a shining example of how art can be anything it wants to be, directed from the mind of Michelle L. Li.
There appears to be no real backstory that explains the short film, rather it is left open to interpretation. It revolves around an unnamed Chinese woman (played by Elain Li), who falls asleep and wakes up to a dream-like state. The woman walks around in an industrial location and is presented with a beautiful costume to wear. She is transformed with heavy makeup, much to the delight of pale skin tones seen in classical Chinese operas.
Speaking of Chinese operas, it is merely a subtle reference to the lavish costumes and makeup, but no singing. Instead, an expressive dance performance begins with another individual that play along to the music that ensues. Costume changes are happening along the way, as more dance acts continue by the woman. She appears to be dancing for an emperor who is observing her performances.
Costume designs in this short film are very intricate, with a nice mix of old and modern patterns of flowers on the dresses the Woman wears for her dances. The dresses appear to be made as abstract as possible, without having to stereotype the ancient Asian-style of clothing, giving itself an identity of its own for Sleep Talking.
Dance performances are very expressive, like a moving statue dancing in their isolated spot while the camera moves around to focus on how their bodies flow to the background music. There’s very minimal footwork in the dances as the main focus is on the movement of their arms, head, and body.
The music is very dramatic, giving the feeling of dark expressions while the Woman dancer is trying to dance through the darkness to bring light. It feels like the Woman is trapped inside this dream to try and use her expressions of dance as a struggle to embrace what was given to her in her dreams.
In a way, Sleep Talking is created more like a three-part series of dance performances, with no dialogue, but opportunities to create an open interpretation to the viewers watching this. The camera work and lighting are well captured in the feelings of isolation and claustrophobia, with some beautiful outdoor shots of empty trees and yellow grass, and the Woman lying in the middle of the road after giving an exhausting three-part dance performance.
In reality, there appears to be a reference to a painting that is on the wall, that looks like a flower with a black crayon scrubbed into the painting like a vandalised picture. Not entirely sure what that means, but for my interpretation, it seems like the Woman’s flower is trapped behind a dark cloud, and all she could do is dance through the darkness as it strips away her pedals.
Her facial expressions are filled with emptiness. She looks like she may be a lost soul trying to figure out something in her life she may be struggling from. One possibility is that there may be an identity crisis as roadblocks may be getting in the way of being who she wants to be. Or maybe, she has gone far too deep into her mind filled with so many unanswered questions, that she has just accepted the path she is given, even if it does not bring much happiness to her.
The more I think about it, the more I am guessing is that she loves to dance. She loves flowers. She loves the arts. But she may be constantly expressing these art forms for others, instead of expressing them for herself. Maybe that is why she is lost in her way of dance. Maybe, dance is the only thing she does best, but has yet to find the path that brings her the proper joy out of her performances. It is a lot to take in, which is why the short film is open to interpretation.
by: Trevor Brooks
© 2021. UniversalCinema Mag.