INTO THE LAND OF MOONSTONES & GABRIELLE: Two Short Films From Director Nicola Rose

Last year, I had the opportunity to not only view her short film Creative Block, but to speak with writer, producer and director Nicola Rose. This year, she is back with not one, but two short films!

One of the elements that has run true in her work, repeating once again with Gabrielle and In the Land of Moonstones, is her creation of strong female characters. While each have their own obstacles, they overcome them with confidence and perseverance, looking to the future with a new perspective on life. On the backs of these strong female leads, stories of whimsy, love and childhood take form.This sense of whimsy elevates her shorts, whether it be in success, pushing past boundaries or first loves. There is a deep rooted sense of self worth and confidence, even if they faulted for just a moment.

What you find is a filmmaker euphoric to find her own real life whimsy in the art of film, whose life around her provides an endless wealth of inspiration.

Gabrielle

This was the first of the two shorts from Rose I had seen since her short Creative Block two years ago. There is an instant familiarity in her work as the snow globe containing the ballerina was shown, the gentle caress and care with object. On a more obvious comparison, ice skating in Creative Block and ballet here unite her work. There is a grace within art that inspires the film’s director and writer, a passion with hard devote sports, each masking the difficulty behind the work that goes into them (which it mirrors with regards to filmmaking).

In a more complex sense, these are the goals and aspirations of many, seemingly impossible to obtain, the beauty within each sport hypnotizing and drawing individuals into the pursuit of grace and success. Not all are able to reach the heights of glory, various reasons holding them back from fulfilling their dreams. It is our ability to reshape our definition of success, our means of obtaining and becoming a part of our dreams.

Gabrielle is about pushing forward, overcoming seemingly impossible goals – especially when everyone around you is rooting for you to fail. Here, viewers will witness a young girl taking her weaknesses and turning them into her strengths while discovering her own true identity. Of course she does not do this alone, and I tip my hate to the diversity casting here, yet she still makes the push to find success and happiness.

The music is light and graceful, the airiness of the notes lifting the tension and hostile environment, carrying viewers and the main character to the end. Viewers will find the sudden end to the music at times jarring, yet, where viewers are hit hard by the sudden absence of sound, so too is Gabrielle by the treatment of the teacher and her students.

Gabrielle is also an epic showcase of the contagion that is bullying. The teacher creates this hardened and cold atmosphere, one that does not promote divergence from the accepted norms of ballet. She is the literal representation of a bully, one whose flames fuel those of others, engulfing everyone and everyone around Gabrielle. Through the display of this presumed acceptable behavior, bullying becomes a seemingly insurmountable battle Gabrielle must face and conquer. Here, we see that aspirations in life are not always the hardest battles.

In the Land of Moonstones

This was my favorite of the two films. There was a deep well of richness the story seemed to pull from – a feeling that proved to be true when its origin was revealed during my interview with Rose. In the Land of Moonstones is a coming of age story that finds its core in first love, surrounded by other firsts we have all experienced when we were younger.

Yet it is not just the story of a young girl writing a letter to her first love that enthralled. The intertwined use of cartoon drawings with the story lends the short to more of an authentic mindset and believability towards the voice behind the narrator of the story. This is a child retelling her story. The inclusion of the blinking hearts within the live action keep the youth within the film fresh and reinvigorated, adding a warmth viewers might have missed otherwise.

Valeria Korennaya stands out as this was the first of two times she would work with director Nicola Rose – both here and in Gabrielle. Here, versus the role she has in Gabrielle, she shows a different side of her acting range, encompassing the compassionate and understanding grandma, whose wild heart drastically contrasts the one of the ballet instructor. While she starred here before Gabrielle, the order you view her performances does not negate the range and the talent she brings to the screen.

In the Land of Moonstones brings a nod and a light to not only the structure of immigrant families, but the duel assimilation their children experience both in our society and within the familial unit. The parents speak in their native tongues, the strong sense of success pushing their children forward. The children learn the language, as well as their own, while also falling into the stereotypical whimsy of a young American teenager, proving that we may have different origins, but we are all much more alike than we care to admit.

As the short concludes, you will find yourself swept away with emotion, the need of this your girl to recapture this moment in her life a necessity to move on to the next chapter. There is a feeling of satisfaction, understanding and solemn awaking. You will find yourself reevaluating your past. What moments do we have stored away that have changed our view points of life, while at the same time pushing us forward to understand and accept the view points of others – to see the world as they do? What moments have a lasting mark – a mark so deep we can never shake it off, but rather absorb it into our future?

Conclusion

Like all her shorts, there is a light the end of the tunnel, something to be taken to heart and learned – something that changes your perspective going forward. Enlightening and inspiring, there is a feeling of resolution as you leave these characters. Whether it’s finding inspiration in Creative Block, the strength in your weaknesses in Gabrielle, or retrospection for the future, it is important to remember that the sky is always blue.