In these odd times, I've decided to do a small recommendation blog. Each week I'll recommend a short carrollian -esque short film for you to watch online.
This week, Alena Lodkina's there is no Such thing as a Jellyfish from 2014...
There is no Such thing as a Jellyfish is available to watch on Vimeo
Director's statement can be read here.
(Image via Leah Popple)
THE FOLLOWING POST CONTAINS SPOILERS.
Alena Lodkina's eerie short film sees a young woman, Hannah, become trapped in a strange house after a tarot card reading.
Alena Lodkina co curated ACMI's Alice is Everywhere film strand in 2018 (where this was included) and despite having no obvious Carroll inspired references, There is no such thing as a Jellyfish curates a sense of carrollian wonder as well as a eerie sense of atmosphere.
The sense of wonder here comes with Hannah's wide eyed sense of exploration, from the pastries in town to the weird and unusual figures the Tarot reader houses in his home.
In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again.As with Carroll's Alice, Hannah is driven by an unshakable sense of curiosity and this tends to lead her into ever stranger situations. After Hannah decides to explore the house it is suddenly night and the house seemingly labyrinthine, signifying that she has entered another place entirely.
At night time the house takes on a whole other personality, and as Hannah goes through more doors and places, there is a resounding sense that she is going into somewhere she shouldn't be. A particularly memorable section sees Hannah come across a maybe mirror image version of herself (or maybe her aunt?) who recites the film's opening monologue (or rather whispers)
After witnessing a seeming robbery, Hannah finds herself again back in the city. Her boyfriend finally arrives, and they walk away. Its unclear if Hannah's experiences were entirely imagined, or if the tarot had something to do with it.
Curiouser and curiouser!
