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"You were my best friend" - A story about friendship, trust, and sexual abuse
Not a monster, Nor a demon
his name is Mark, and he was Jeannie's best friend. Jeannie calls Mark to understand what actually happend that night, and why she is still unable to call it rape.
Based on the memoir
"Things We Didn't Talk About When I Was A Girl" by Jeannie Vanasco
About Me
My name is Shahar, I graduated from "Sound and Screen Art" of Sapir College.
Art is my way to express myself and speak about social issues that touches me.
I ain't going to make the world a better place, but if I'm able to save one soul that's like saving whole world The issue of sexual abuse against women always been my weak spot. I wanted to dedicate my art for rising awarness and knowledge about this issue.
The Story
Can I ever get into a situation where I sexual abuse someone? If my best friend happens to be my crush, will I not try to take it one step further when she’s drunk? That’s questions we don’t want to ask ourselves. If we do, the answer is so clear and simple – Then why sexual abuse is so common?
When I first read the memoir “Things We Didn’t Talk About When I Was A Girl” I felt annoyed, I hated Mark, but I also Understood him.
I had the amazing opportunity to talk directly with t he author of the memoir Jeannie Vanasco. The discussion we had emphasized the importance that –
In her eyes mark was a friend that hurt her, not a rapist.
Concepts Explained
Conceptual Lighting
The lighting in the scenes is deliberately unrealistic, serving as an additional layer of storytelling to enhance the narrtive. In the top-left scene, light is strategically used to direct the viewer’s focus to what Mark is paying attention to, ephasizing his perspective. In the top-right scene the lighting evokes a flashback to the basement, symbolizing how its memories continues to hunt Jeannie.
In the bottom left scene, neon pink lighting creates a sense of discomfort, deliberately highlighting Jeannie’s crying eyes to draw attention to what Mark was trying to ignore. Finally, in the bottom right scene, the shape of the projected light resembles a cage around Jeannie’s body, symbolizing the emotional entrapment she feels.
Each lighting choice deepens the emotional and psychological layers of the storytelling.
Paper Concept
The film is based on a written memoir, and my focus centered on crafting a powerful metaphor that interwines the violance of sexual abuse with the act of writing a memoir. The metaphor revoles around destructions of paper, mirroring the impact of abuse on Jeannie’s body
In the top-left scene, Mark’ touch on Jeannie represent a stain, permanent and indelible, much like ink on paper. In the top-right scene, his embrace symbolize the sexual abuse, crumpling her emotionally and physically just as paper is crushed under the pressure. The bottom-left scene reflects Jeannie’s breakdown, where she tears metaphorically apart into fragments stained by Mark’s “dirt”, visualized as inked words on paper, echoing the painful memories she recounts in her memoir. Finally in the bottom-right frame, Jeannie comforts reality, gaining the strength to articulate her trauma for the first time, writing the words, “Mark raped me”. This metaphor encapsulates her journey of pain, understanding and catharsis.
Conceptual Shapes
The film uses the contrast between round and square shapes to reflect its themes and character dynamics. The world and its square-shaped compositions symbolize rigidity and control, embodying “Mark’s world”. In contrast, Jeannie’s round design visually conveys her struggle to fit into this sharp, unyielding environment dominated by Mark’s presence.
This is evident in the square-shaped clock, restaurant, cup, wooden walls, and other elements. The only moment Jeannie encounters a round composition is in the top-right frame, where after removing mark from her life, she sits on a bench with a round moon behind her.
Gallery
