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★★
Directed by: #GuerrillaMetropolitana
Starring: #GuerrillaMetropolitana, #Peanuts, #OllieWeasel
Short Film Review by: Alexandra James
The Censor focuses on the character Sir Philip Reginald Tangen III, the president of the National Censorship Association. Tangen is known for his control over the media and traditionalist views which have prevented the release of certain films and cartoons as a way of protecting the younger generation and to shield them away from what could be considered offensive or obscene. This short film, incorporated elements of pop-art images and a variety of innuendos using animated illustrations and historical artifacts or events which shocked the world to convey a message behind the scenes. The Censor explores a mixture of subjects, one which is clearly represented in the title, and highlights the enforced regulations from the powers above and control of the media, as well as the idea of hypocrisy and symbolism surrounding the notion of sin.
Guerilla Metropolitana, director of The Censor, uses a lot of grotesque imagery and delves quite deeply into extreme sadistic acts, with lots of references to blood, semen and violence. This film is not for the faint hearted, and the audience should be warned about some of the content within this short as there are images which may cause upset. Understandably, this short film encompasses scenes which establish a shock factor and extremist perceptions to explore this subject of censorship. However, there were a lot of scenes within this short which did not particularly elevate this film or can be considered truly necessary. There were images used which were to purely provoke and completely diverted away from the narrative. The narrative itself was hard to follow, particularly because there were a lot of repetitive images and certain scenes played out over and over which although added this layer of uncertainty to the film, it also created an amateurish finish.
The story follows two very different characters, Reginald Tangen, a man on a mission to keep strict law and have the public conform to his views, and a young skateboarder, rebellious and scouring the streets of London seeking out any form of entertainment. Both worlds collide in this short and the outcome leads to heinous and violent acts all wrapped up in one warped nightmare.
The Censor was a dark short film that examines the political and moral message which comes with censorship and the dangers that can be raised through both shielding the youth as well as exposing them to art which may be deemed as indecent or harmful. The Censor was a short filmed peppered with symbolism and metaphors and highlights a crucial message to the audience in terms of its comment on the balance of power and oppression. However, the film itself can be seen as completely bizarre visually and sometimes draws the attention away from this message and summons a distressed response due to its upsetting themes.
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