With a film like Toxic, it's very important to pay attention to the images which inhabit the screen, whether in a corner or predominating the space entirely, for it is them that carry the intended, distinctive, well-defined message of the plot. The short opens with a scene of a cityscape where in the distance lurks a hoarding of a woman, unmistakably sexualised for a society which has conditioned itself to view them solely as objects of desire, and meeting with a failure to fulfil this expectation in real life, away from the lens of media and entertainment, makes them feel deprived of a right, or view themselves as a victim of a serious wrong done to them. This is the core concern of the narrative, dealt expertly, steering clear of traps of banality, voyeurism or superficiality regarding the treatment of its subject matter.
When Darren agrees to give a ride to Irene to a common friend's party, his expectations from the night, as well as Irene, in his own head are contrasted against the inadequacy of his misguided feelings in the real world. While even in the face of all the aggression and rudeness, the characters around him remain unmoved, and maybe even polite and friendly, his perception and the interpretation of the same situations is jarring as well as deeply disturbing for both the viewer and the protagonist himself, albeit for vastly different reasons.
A reflection in the mirror stands for his skewed interpretation of the events unfolding before him. A TV screen in focus comes as a harbinger of the dark path a character like Darren might be headed towards, once again proving true the proposition made at the start about the images and symbols in the narrative. The film manages to interact with all of these concerns, without ever explicitly spelling out anything, finally concluding with a clear warning of what is to come for someone who, despite seeing himself as a victim of those around him, especially women or men who manage to be comfortable around their female counterparts, is simply a product of staggering levels of toxic masculinity, entitlement and distorted ideas of interpersonal relationships.
Read LessWhen Darren agrees to give a ride to Irene to a common friend's party, his expectations from the night, as well as Irene, in his own head are contrasted against the inadequacy of his misguided feelings in the real world. While even in the face of all the aggression and rudeness, the characters around him remain unmoved, and maybe even polite and friendly, his perception and the interpretation of the same situations is jarring as well as deeply disturbing for both the viewer and the protagonist himself, albeit for vastly different reasons.
A reflection in the mirror stands for his skewed interpretation of the events unfolding before him. A TV screen in focus comes as a harbinger of the dark path a character like Darren might be headed towards, once again proving true the proposition made at the start about the images and symbols in the narrative. The film manages to interact with all of these concerns, without ever explicitly spelling out anything, finally concluding with a clear warning of what is to come for someone who, despite seeing himself as a victim of those around him, especially women or men who manage to be comfortable around their female counterparts, is simply a product of staggering levels of toxic masculinity, entitlement and distorted ideas of interpersonal relationships.
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