Solo

‘Solo’ is a film that unfolds more within the silence it presents, than any dialogue or verbal exchange. A man has arrived at a school for his daughter’s interview that would determine whether or not she would be able to secure a spot at this mighty institution. It involves a musical performance as the father waits outside the room. The image of a father taking a step back, as uneasy as it might have left him, to allow his daughter to take her first steps in the world without him, the image of this wait, marked by trepidation and uncertainty, becomes not only crucial to the story but also pronounces the film's primary preoccupation.

The vastness of the building’s architecture is set against the diminutive presence of the quiet father-daughter duo, hesitant and a little unsure of their surroundings, but determined in their resolve. One of the only words we hear a character articulate is the young daughter’s understandable nervousness at the prospect of giving a performance that would determine her future at the school. The audience is never made privy to the assurance she gets in return. However, the screenplay, performance, and narratorial construction ensure that its effect is conveyed and realized with full effect.

The short film, in the process, explores a moment suspended in time, and pivots on an equation defined by unselfish affection and love, portrayed most notably by the protagonist’s own discomfort and unease in a surrounding he is not at all familiar with, alongside the brave face of conviction he puts on for his daughter.