Without warning or preparation, the short film throws you into a world marked by its immense vastness that is stunning in its beauty and glory, but overwhelming in its scale. This serves a two-pronged purpose of not only catching your attention and ensuring it remains tightly within its grasp throughout, but also establishing a premise that has already begun to invoke unsettling emotions within the viewer. A solitary figure of a woman, her face protected by a gas mask, further underlines the loneliness of this seemingly post-apocalyptic reality where only the wind and the sea break the oppressive silence. 

 Equipped with an economy of dialogue, along with a remarkable background score, the film introduces us to a setting that is defined by a deep sense of isolation. Finding herself to be the only survivor in a massive space, the woman moves from one discarded object to another - rejects and leftovers on which now her survival depends. However, it is the emotional needs of existence that dominate the physical ones in the narrative. The thought gains increasing resonance in a world which is only beginning to come out of a pandemic, after ensuring each of us has waged our own individual battle with despair and seclusion. 

 In the process, West Winds not only becomes a sophisticated example of skill and finesse, but also a much needed expression of the many challenges of mental health. The woman is unnamed and hence could be anyone of us in her quest to find comfort. Her limitless surroundings can thus be viewed as a metaphor for the endless pits of mental and emotional demons. This, in turn, allows the story to communicate not only important lessons on the aforementioned issues of mental health, but also about the significance of companionship, kindness and the warmth of friendship that is capable of enveloping you in an unbreakable armour against the many onslaughts of despondency and hopelessness.

West Winds | Short Film of the Day

Two unnamed characters sit knitting in the heart of a non-descript wilderness. There is nowhere they've come from, and there is nowhere they need to be, and there indeed is no Godot that they wait for. While one’s deft fingers move smoothly across the needles and yarn, the other’s struggles are endearing and amusing in equal measure. However, her sole companion is far from amused at her inexpertise and is more than quick to express her annoyance and dismay. 
The film weaves itself with a sense of effervescence and humor, and yet, undercuts the frivolity when you least expect it with a sudden, jarring image of violence. The union of the two sentiments, of ease and adroitness with struggle and overpowering difficulty, becomes a crucial image, handled with skill. The visual grammar is employed remarkably to paint this experimental, absurdist, colorful space for the viewer. 
While the scene before you can conjure several metaphors depending on the viewer, the film presents, in no equivocal manner, an uplifting moment of warmth and companionship, enhanced in its portrayal by the chemistry of the actors. An entire spectrum of emotions is intertwined into the pattern, as the title, one about a knitting technique, offers a heartwarming metaphor for everything that unfolds within the film right up to its conclusion.

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