Films

Stuck
United Kingdom
Director: Alex Sexton With Callum Percival, James Sexton, Running Time : 4m 56s

Unpicking Courage is fire, and bullying is smoke. Benjamin Disraelis play on the famous phrase No smoke without fire gives us a good entry point to Alex Sextons new short. More than telling us that bullying is a smokescreen, one that hides true courage from plain sight, Disraelis quotation could be stating that bullyings emergence originates from the overdevelopment of courage, moving from being courageous (the fire burning) to the over-presence of that courage (the smoke), clouding anything that may lie beneath. The ideals behind this quote resonate within this tense twist-in-the-tail middle class drama. When we first meet our protagonist, Charlie, he is working with a focus solely on the work in front of him. He works busily; and we as an audience can see that there is a sense of quiet determinism about him, in that even when making a mistake, he still works through. We are presented with a little wood and metal trophy that Charlie has been working on, filing away at the metal and sanding the wooden base. This wooden trophy serves as a culmination of his efforts. However, it creates a view of Charlie as a person as well. The little metal trophy has a sense of care to it, however, it has such a look about it that we know that it has been made by a student. With Charlie working hard on his trophy, and the themes presented within the short, we assume that the bully is going to be someone of a similar age, or possibly older. From the personality traits we are witnessing from this point, we expect that he will beat the bully, and the film turns into one large clich. This quickly turns from what has the potential to be just another film about bullying to something that challenges newer ideas present in the secondary school system. Sextons film directly challenges a time-honored ideology that has been present in Britains educational systems for generations - that bullying is just a part of life, and that it toughens you up for life in

the real world. The film is a paradox of sorts; it challenges this traditional idea, but at the same time, endorses the values that it instills. It uses the platform of bullying as a vehicle for Charlies journey to becoming a better person, but at the same time, adhering to some of the ideas that are associated with the process of bullying. If his first short (Drink (2012)) is anything to go by, we see that Sexton has a custom to challenge the viewers first response to the film. This kind of challenge creates a more thought-provoking film, rather than just attempting to live up to the conventions and clichs that are set in place by films about bullying before this. The films narrative is challenging, in that it takes the viewers conception about what is going to happen, and flips it on its head. We are introduced to the antagonist of the film, Ryan, as he is about vandalizing Charlies work as he watches on. This kind of action describes the stereotypical situation of bullying that we hear about in schools; there is a bully, and a victim. The bully is normally bigger than the victim, and the victim is normally much weaker. However, this film takes that idea, reverses it, and then continues as normal. Having the antagonist much younger than the actual protagonist gives the film an interesting dynamism compared to other films that may describe the same thing. We are shown the kind of aggression from Ryan that you only see normally from someone with something to prove; hes trying to find his feet in the school, and as a result of this, has taken to bullying someone much older than he is. Callum Percival delivers a well suited role as Charlie, and as an untrained actor, delivers the emotion of the film fantastically, considering that he has very few lines. The fact that he has very few lines adds to the introverted qualities of the protagonist, and at the same time, gives him an air of mystery; we know who he is, but is there another reason that hes keeping so quiet? The film takes a topic that we know (Bullying in Public Schools) and then changes it, and makes something that is unfamiliar to us. We see bullying, but we dont see the kind of bullying that is described in this film. This kind is one that is only heard of once in a blue moon, but is becoming increasing more prominent in schools. The description of the situation within this film is valid; its clear that Sexton has done his research into the subject, and as a result, creates a film that is both realistic and tense.
CREDITS Director of Photography Location Manager Sound Recordist Key Grip

James Sexton plays Ryan...

First Assistant Director

CAST

Joe Cross

Location Manager

Sam Ivermee
Prop Master

Sound Assistant

Jack Smith

Adrian Bailey
Set Decorator

Charlie Callum Percival Ryan James Sexton Daniel Callum Percival Youth #1 Callum Percival
TECHNICAL DETAILS

Alex Sexton
Runner Soundtrack

Thomas Bailey Original score composed by Alex Sexton Alex Sexton

Editing Art Direction

Alex Sexton Alex Sexton Alex Sexton

Actor Direction Costume and Make Up SYNOPSIS

Alex Sexton

Filmed on Panasonic AVCHD Canon 550D Editing System Avid Media Composer 6

Alex Sexton

Alex Sexton

Camera Assistant

Lewis Woods

Alex Sexton

Charlie sits alone in the technology room, with assorted tools and glues sitting around him. He is focused on his work, not looking around. He is preparing two pieces of wood to be glued together, using sandpaper to file down the edges that hes going to glue. He looks to his right and left, but cannot find the glue that he needs. He leaves his work on the side of the bench, and walks out into the corridor, where he opens a walk-in cupboard, and tries to find his glue. He hears footsteps behind him, but ignores it, and continues rummaging through the cupboard. To his surprise, he hears a drill being fired up in the room he was in. He pulls his head out of the cupboard, to see a figure in the back corner of the room, looking back at his workstation. The figure is standing solitary, with Charlies work under the active drill. The figure continues to stare Charlie down, as the drill-bit descends, boring a large hole through the centre of the wood. Charlie keeps looking; the figure is short and stout, no taller then a year . It was a year 9. The year 9 slams the work down onto the table opposite the drill, and keeps eye contact with Charlie, but not saying a word, as he moves defiantly towards the door. He gets to the door and says one word. Not loud enough to be heard from far away, but just within Charlies earshot. Pussy. Charlie looks back at the work next to the drill. He takes it over to the nearby sander, fires it up, and begins sanding away at the corners. He picks it up, blows it, and puts it back up on the shelf. Picking up his bag, he walks out towards the door. He opens the door, and moves out into a walkway leading to the school piazza. He looks on into the distance, and sees the same boy that had vandalized his work, standing by a bench. Hes giving the guy sitting on the bench a hard time. Charlie stands back for a moment and just observes the situation. He is just about to leave in the opposite direction, when he hears a sudden HEY, and sees the year nine emptying out the guy on the benchs bag, picking up pencils and breaking them. He runs back inside the classroom, and then runs back out.Charlie walks out towards the bench, and sits down beside the other boy sitting down. HE slings his bag on the floor, and looks at him. The year nine looks bewildered as does the boy sitting on the bench. They sit together, almost forming a united front against their oppressor. The year nine becomes a little more aggressive towards Charlie, saying that the bench was his, and that if he Charlie didnt move, he would punch him. Hearing this, Charlie simply looks at him, holding his arms behind his back, and leaning forward slightly. The year nine punches forward, and Charlie dodges out the way, standing up as he does so. The year nine sits down after Charlie has got up, grinning as if he has won the battle. He starts to feel around his trouser bottoms, as they feel slightly soggy, and he looks uncomfortable. Charlie points to this, asking if his trousers feel a little soggy. The year nine tries to stand, but cant. His trouser bottoms had been glued to the bench. Charlie picks up his bag, and without saying a word, leaves the bench, with the year nine still glued to it.