As the financial headquarters of London slowly awakens to another day of business as usual, in the near distance a junior banker named Adam experiences nightmarish visions of chasing rioters. Trying to understand his own dream, Adam nervously leaves his flat to make the first journey to work at a major investment bank. Yet, in the surreal calm of the financial district, unbeknown to Adam, the greatest danger facing him is not from the imagined rioters, but the corruption of his individuality in the corporate bubble. Here, as differences between him and the perceived rioters blur, he faces a choice to resist or succumb to the very same desires that the looters share: adrenaline, greed, and power at the expense of others. As the financial headquarters of London slowly awakens to another day of business as usual, not so far away a nervous junior banker experiences nightmarish visions of rioters and looting across the city, before leaving his flat to make his first journey to work at a major investment bank. Yet, in the surreal calm of the financial district, unbeknown to him the greatest danger he faces is not from the rioters, but the corruption of his individuality in the corporate bubble. Here, as differences between him and the perceived rioters blur, he faces a choice to resist or succumb to the very same desires that the looters share: adrenaline, greed, and power at the expense of others. Piranha (2014) is probably the only fiction that depicts the juxtaposition of London riots and the economic recession in a stylized yet unbiased manner. While the blend of symbols and sound appoint a pre-defined meaning, the film as a whole leaves ample room for introspection, allowing viewers to form their own perspectives.<br/><br/>The opening montage of shots have an unmistakable resemblance to the city shots of Metropolis (1927) by Fritz Lang as is the close-up shot of the clock ticking in the context of workers getting lined up for work. The towering shot of the glass tiles of a building just before the protagonist enters his office also evokes the same parallel. The shot counter-shots of the protagonist sleeping/dreaming/waking up and the tracking shots of him running can be paralleled to some shots of "Down by Law" (1986) by Jim Jarmusch. The sound design juxtaposed with the shots give a sinister, Lynchian effect. Altogether this film has the appeal of a cult film. <br/><br/>The outcry of the baby merging into the wide aerial shot of the heart of London depicts the holistic view and the journey the filmmaker wants us to take into this boiling pot of conflicts occurring in London. The outcry of the microcosm throws light on to the macrocosm and vice versa. The motif of piranhas and the bull prepares the viewer to delve into the unconscious to get a better understanding of the crises at hand. At one point we see that the protagonist with his peers seem to blend in the same frame with the fishes. <br/><br/>The film does not privilege one over the other. The protagonist and the rioters are both at the mercy of the faulty system in which they both dwell. We see the protagonist running along with the rioters. At one point it seems like they are chasing him, but the next moment that assumption is broken. There is an inter-play of the real and the unreal depicted as the protagonist's awakened state versus dream state, the two of which get blurred. The use of channel-switching blurs together with its sound aid the blurring of the real and the imagined (fear) of the situation from the POV of the protagonist.<br/><br/>The use of audio vox-pops of the public opinion regarding the riots with the end credits reveal the various facets of the riots, the last one being prominent saying that in a revolution, one attacks the corrupted elite and not the local Poundland stores… <br/><br/>This film indulges more than one viewing… This ambitious, yet thought-provoking short delves deeper into the subconscious mind of viewers, as well as future generations and the consequences facing both sides of the playing field - the hunter and the hunted and vice versa; set in a socially complex environment segregated by many different classes.<br/><br/>The unexpected conclusion fitted well to the overall situation, referencing the riots as well as the financial crisis in 2008, presenting the city bankers/businessmen as the main culprits and that their not any different than the other greedy/corrupt organisations - as if those with potential wealth and power are immorally penetrating their authority on the weak and vulnerable who do not wish to participate in their grand scheme.<br/><br/>Aesthetically, the attention to detail in the city is exceptional, meticulously composed shots with steady, careful direction. Throughout the whole duration the city is represented as a cold, calculated arena, presumably the monotone pallet was intended for that which is effectively used in each shot.<br/><br/>Unlike most conventional Hollywood inspired films which seek to manipulate audiences towards certain agendas and ideas, this short however sets a brave new template on how we may perceive film and reflect, reassess how society is inhibited by more than one governing body, hence put down by force or authority, conquering one's true desires.
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