Different and The Kid

Films, for me, act as a form of escapism from the chaos of reality.  To emerge as a blank slate into a new fantastical dimension.

Whilst the films “Different” by Tahneek Rahman and Dust’s “The Kid” seem to bear no correlation at first glance, they both delve into the themes of our inability to be empathetic and tendencies to jump to conclusions.

“Different” recounts the story of how two strangers with disabilities – one deaf and one paralyzed from the waist down – unfurls into a romantic relationship after overcoming multiple misunderstandings.  “The Kid,” on the other hand, is a scientific short film depicting a woman’s courageous sacrifice to save a supernatural boy from five men, escalating into a fight scene that ends in her death.  However, she is miraculously revived by the kid, whose supernatural abilities enabled him to diminish one of the man’s life in exchange for the woman’s.  This is ironic as whilst both films suggest a form of cohesion between two individuals, “Different” shows a positive unison between two complementing teens, and “The Kid” depicts a revival of one individual with another’s sacrifice.

The main difference between these two films is their narrative arcs.  “Different” follows the traditional format consisting of a serene exposition, rising action, and climax, followed by an exposition.  On the other hand, “The Kid” delves right into the action – opening with the scene of the protagonists’ frantic escape from their pursuers.  However, both of the films provide closures through a return to the initial scene, with the two main characters sitting on the bench in “Different”, and the protagonists in “The Kid” running away from the murder scene.

“Different” seems to be filmed by an amateur producer, whilst “The Kid” is a more illustrious film comprised of superior editing.  The first film thus gives the audience a sense of familiarity and allows us to empathize with the main characters.  However, the yellowish tinge in the film “The Kid” illustrates it as an otherworldly dystopia, which intrigues the audience through our fascination with paranormal phenomena.  The camera angle is stationary in the first film, suggestive of the characters’ stagnant relationship, whilst the camera angle in “The Kid” is constantly shifting, in congruence with the protagonists’ hectic enterprise.  Both of the films utilize the technique of omniscient camera angles, which allows the audience to be privy to information not accessible to the featured characters, creating dramatic ironies.

Both of the films feature a scarce amount of dialogues, highlighting the importance of visual elements.  However, “Different” is plagued by a non-diegetic narration at the beginning, whilst “The Kid” relies solely on the characters’ facial expressions.  Both of them have unfiltered underlying background sounds such as heavy breathing and the rustling of leaves, which stimulate the audience aurally and establishes a naturalistic element to the films.  The producers from both films also rely on background music to establish the moods.  For example, the film “Different” is accompanied by fantastical music with undulating tunes at the beginning, which signifies hope and fluctuating emotions of a nervous lovestruck teen.  Meanwhile, the fighting scene in “The Kid” is accompanied by the rhythmic beatings of a drum, reflective of the characters’ pounding hearts.

Due to the lack of perpetual narration, both films have elusive plots at the beginning, which unfold into devastating results arising from initially insignificant misunderstandings.  In conclusion, the films illustrate how humans tend to view everything as extreme absolutes, underscoring the repercussions of our unwillingness to delve past initial facades and rumors.