LABEL (AUFDRUCK) (Short)
“LABEL” (or “AUFDRUCK” in German) is the simplest setup for any film, short film or feature-length, possible- two people talking. The setting is almost inconsequential; the conversation is all that matters. It’s not an easy setup to make come to life, either; the writing has to be on-point, the performances have to be believable and natural, and the shooting should help elevate the dialogue with a sense of purpose, engaging us in the most down-to-Earth action imaginable…simply communicating with another human being. In his four-minute short film, writer-director Jaschar L Marktanner shoots the film in black-and-white (and uses colorized subtitles) giving the film a sense of style that permeates through to the engaging score by Lukas Grepel, as two friends (Pansen (Mary Krasnoperova) and Schluppe (Kira Mathis)) have a conversation over coffee and cigarettes at a cafe. The film begins with two title cards- one acknowledging the dangers of smoking, and one quoting Heimito von Doderer, who said, “In a good conversation the pauses are as important as the talking itself.” This is very true as Pansen and Schluppe’s conversation progresses, consisting primarily of calling people, and sometimes things, “sons of a bitch.” It’s a very funny back-and-forth, played well by the two actresses, written with a sharp-witted ear, and directed with a full understanding of what von Doderer meant. There’s even a little coda after the women leave that puts a punctuation on the whole thing. A most pleasurable four minutes, indeed.
