THE CRITIC | Omeleto
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ต.ค. 2024
- A famous actress faces her harshest critic.
THE CRITIC is used with permission from Stella Velon. Learn more at stellavelon.com.
An award-winning actress has just won acclaim for her performance as a woman who struggles with drug and alcohol addiction. But then she is interviewed at her home by a particularly combative critic. And as she's pummeled with questions, the interview goes awry, and her carefully polished surface begins to unravel.
Writer-director Stella Velon's psychological drama is a tightly focused narrative, focused on a key shift in consciousness in one woman who has spent much time and effort building a fortress around a troubled past and finds it crumbling around her.
The writing and narrative scope focus on one interaction, but the intense laser-like beam of attention is not just about limiting time and space in the story. It's also built into the psychological intensity of the unusually open, confrontational and rigorous interaction that an interview can provide, which offers a depth of focus that the unnamed (and mostly unseen) critic takes advantage of -- and which rattles the cool, elegant image and composure of the actress herself.
The visuals, too, establish that sense of close-focus confrontation, where the camera often frames close-ups and detail shots of the interview. Close-ups usually provide intimacy and emotional access in filmic storytelling, but here they also have the claustrophobia of relentless focus.
Halfway through the film, though, the film makes a shift, signaled in the story's events and the changing film language. We see footage of the interview being recorded on video, as well as looser, wider framings, and the emotions become wilder in expression as well.
As the film reveals its full hand, what unites the different strands is Velon's performance, which stays truthful and precise, no matter what twist or turn is happening. She's able to balance the line between defensive steeliness and fragility, and when her defenses fall, she gets at the core of shame, self-loathing and profound sadness that fuels both the actress and the story.
THE CRITIC highlights one of the most primal pleasures of watching films and televisions: the hypnotic allure of watching a compelling face feel and express emotions, often in a way that makes them more legible and understandable to ourselves.
The characters may or may not be immediately relatable -- we may not be award-winning actresses ourselves -- but many struggle with the feeling of being unworthy, or feeling guilt at escaping a tragic fate that has consumed others. THE CRITIC takes these tangled knots of emotions and re-weaves them into a multi-layered story with suspense and drama, provoking thought and reflection on our own dark secret spots of vulnerability.
An actress playing an actress, playing an actress
Infinite regression
Wrong
mise en abyme
Use your intellect instead. Your response is the simplified version.
...played by an actress.. 4x
Her smile at the end is everything. What a beautiful lady, great actress and awesome film.
She really is more beautiful when she smiles.
She's gorgeous
Stunning woman
That smile was everything! So beautiful
Written, directed AND played by herself! Wow!
The interviewer is her inner critic. He is not real. She made him!!!!
Yep !
This was an easy one to figure out
So what is the ending about? "Cut, that's a wrap" etc what does it mean?
@@TheSemtis her life was a movie
1. She’s her harshest critic...
or maybe she made the critic in her mind out of all the people who’ve doubted her capabilities or her talent..
2. Also the critic is in the dark portraying the negative people who came in her life, or her inner turmoils..
3. Also it’s like a process of introspection to yourself in the worst way.. finding happiness out of what you’ve become and how much you’ve lost of yourself to reach that life...
clash of inner self with the reality..
4. Can also be interpreted in a way... how much an actor goes through and what stand does he really has in his life..
actors go through a lot of stories and situations.. they carry the roles and the emotions within to let it out again and again in way or another.. this can be one of those in which these clashed with what’s real and what’s in her Mind..
Well written, directed, and acted. Certainly hit all the right notes. She's definitely got many talents which is going to get her far in her career. I look forward to seeing more of her work in the future. Great job.
saying "without me, YOU are nothing" to my inner critic... wow. powerful
This is so tough to sit out as a viewer
same i keep pausing idk if i can finish this
Yes I had to watch this in stages
Wait why doe
adhd generation (i include myself in that but lol)
@@manamemajeff6283 prob lack of explosions
*spoiler alert - watch the film before reading this*
I feel like everything outside of the interviewer/crew being there was real. I think the interviewer was her inner thoughts after winning the award which lead her to the overdose and bath part. I think the "cut" at the end was a way to say her life - which feels like just one big scene in a movie - is over.
I love films that leave the ending up to the ideas of the viewer instead of a clear cut ending. Great job!
I think her translucent figure on the stage at the end confirms your theory.
@@garethoneill5676 I kind of wish they didn't put that part in honestly
The locked door was perfect symbolism. Not only can't you escape your self-criticism, it's also so damn hard to intervene for others around you.
Actually, I see it differently. Yes, the interviewer is her inner self. But I think the suicide is just in her head as well, perhaps symbolic for her self esteem. And the end shows how she pushes away the negative emotions and snaps back into her role as a movie star.
@@DutchObserver like she escaped the negative thoughts? That's a good take on it
I see the interviewer as the person inside her mind.
I saw him as self doubt too x3
Amazing. It's like the movie Inception, but in her mind.
Even though the interviewer is harsh and judgemental, the actress is her own critic. Either her judgement can get the best of her or she can choose to prevail.
Reminded me of a baptism. Laid down in turmoil, then eyes are opened, then she came up anew. Literally a different person. Amazing.
The short was just amazing. The cast did a marvelous job. Hated the critic who asked all personal questions. But all in all BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!! ☺
I think the interviewer is her own inner critic.
I think liking the interviewer would be abnormal.
damn.... having experienced those exact things she did in the bathroom personally, after hearing the depiction of verbal and psychological abuse... this was challenging to watch. two years ago... pretty much exactly what she did in the bathroom... only my "cut" was being rushed to the hospital... good job capturing the intensity of things like this that happen in real life, all the time.
I hope you feel better now and hope you managed to root out those destructive voices out of your mind, for good! We deserve respect, love and peace in our lives. And we deserve to protect ourselves from abusers, of all kinds.
I hope you are in a better place Anna.
I am happy you are still here. The Bible says: ‘Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” 1 Peter 5: 8
Is life better now, four years on?
Man this was amazing! Its like an actress playing an actress who plays an actress. Then that smile!! She is fabulous! This was so intense. AND she wrote and directed this as well!! 👁👁
This made me cry. I know nothing about acting, but I have gone through a lot of self-criticism over the last few years. This actress portrays it all with poise and grace - very convincing, brava!
Im so upset she let the critic get to her. She's was already a winner by overcoming addiction
You missed the whole point of the plot the critic was her inner thoughts
Good point. 👍🏼
@@geetakavle9079 But Caproulette is still correct, she let the critic get to her even if the critic was herself. I struggle to believe in myself, as many people do. It was eye opening to see how that plays out in this movie.
Over coming addiction?
@@sunshinelizard1 thank you
I can't believe someone made a short film about the voice in my head.
I'm with you.
WELL DONE!!! That was a well written film and what a OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE!!
Great film, what a talent. But, I also have to comment on how this really was all shot in three rooms. Her direction is just as powerful as her acting and story telling. I am going to be looking forward to more of her work.
She's happy for every experience in her life, because these experiences, especially the bad ones, SHOWED HER HER INNER STRENGTH TO COPE WITH THEM!
The actress was faboulus ,the film was great
10/10, one of the best short films I have seen. Her acting is absolutely incredible, and the overall themes and message are fantastic. The ending is especially good.
It's like what I always say to myself.
"Let the critics be your strength. And never let it be your downfall."
The male interviewer is her and also represents her father who never loved her and criticized her
Nothing was really said about her parents except that they abandoned her... idk where I got that
Guess thats why we need to over come critizism and not feel we are obligated to validate ourselves to anyone because of our success
Or in instances our short comings , the insecrurities of ourselves can often be our down fall if we give into them , this short fim is a good portrayal of human nature !
@@manamemajeff6283 Usually such harsh inner voices have their origin in real parental figures (could be the parents, grand parents, or whoever played the part of the parent in their childhood), they don't come from nowhere. Same for everyone who finds the dialogue triggering - they've had an important figure in their early life do this to them, and that person's voice has been internalized.
A curious dilemma, does self-doubt lead to addiction or does addiction create self-doubt.
I.E. Apart from other external factors.
Alex Mercer my personal opinion would be self-doubt, if no other factors are accounted for, leads to addiction first. Then that addiction leads to more self doubt which leads to more addiction and so on. Addiction is a form of escape, for people who feel empty to give their lives to something, to numb themselves and find some sort of illusion of ‘purpose.’ If there’s nothing to escape from, why would someone become an addict in the first place?
@@naragrace3870 Makes sense. Not considering other factors of course. If anything else is added, I'd say self-doubt can manifest other issues without addiction being one of them. Different individuals respond differently, I suppose, with some being similar in some aspects.
@@naragrace3870 addiction and self doubt are both symptoms, but the former is a way of coping with the latter. The origin is somewhere way in the past when someone said or did something(s) to cause us to question our worth and dignity
There’s something missing from your dilemma: trauma. Trauma and the loss of connection lead to addiction. Trauma in the formative years leads the inner voice that creates the kind of self-doubt you’re referring to.
@@jamesbeyer Great point! A huge factor indeed.
Absolutely AMAZING actress!!! I bought the whole thing without any flinch of my spirit.
Wtf the ending is unexpected 😂 .... But it does make sense ☺️
What does the ending about if u care to explain?
@@quesoqueso7598 it's much more than that. I don't know how to explain but it's not to be taken literally.
You are stuck with your mind all day ,if you don't control and take charge of it
It will control and take charge of you,I like when she took the power back,being the alpha,despite the laugh in her face ,it shows her confidence,self doubt and resilience,it shows her being human
This was a beautiful story omeleto ,I loved it ❤️
I usually have a response for many shorts here but this one demands my silence. Hushing away.
I'm not her and I'm stressed beyond my limit, goodness gracious, this is hard to watch. Lemme finish the vid
Edit:oml that had me crying when she was taking all those pills and drinking, then they but me with a "CuT" lmao this is awesome 10 out of 10 love it
What if I tell you it was the “Cut” for this very film you watched? 🤓
Women in film, baby! One of the best shorts I've seen, written and directed by and starring Stella Velon. So many notes resonated with me.
Impressive: the composure she had while being interviewed underlined by her proper hair and posture. "The interviewer" stylistically only be seen as a silhouette and then again her, alone in the bathroom with messy hair and growing desperation. That peaceful picture, just black and white colours after having drowned pulled out harshly by another scene, smiling while he says to her: "I know it's hard for you."
And the film ending with applause as it has started.
Gorgeous film, amazingly directed and played overwhelmingly!
As a former Alcohol and Drug Counselor the end TOTALLY got ME! Shout out to ALL those struggling with addiction you're not alone!!!
That was so good and the end came as a relief. I was so afraid that he had done so much damage that she threw it all away. Well done!
And I always thought when interviews are conducted, the person being interviewed knows the questions beforehand.
I am not sure about what happens at the end. Does she hallucinate the "cut!" but where she rises up, while actually dying?
I think she was acting
Yeah I think it's symbolic. She has actually died and that's the final rap for her.
No she just played that part and it was hard for her.
I think the "cut" indicates her death - end of her final act of life. In the last scene her translucent figure is shown without the interviewer, meaning she got rid of her inner critic through the act of suicide.
I have a bias against likeable people dying, so let's see, how can we interpret it differently :)
I think that everything happened in her mind, while she was sitting in that chair she rises from in the last scene. The "interview" was most likely her inner critic, as other people have pointed out, and it got joined with the scene in the bathroom, which was most likely from the film she got an award from.
In the real world ..that interviewer wouldn’t get half them judgemental questions off the ground
You need to watch it again, after reading the comments. You've missed the entire point of the piece.
oh no .... "SO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING...."
The battle is real !!! Her conscious got her mind! She played the part so well because she wanted to do just that at the end ✌
Wow. Blown away!
Beautiful,Brilliant actress....story,direction, script, visuals. Everything, spot on
Kudos. Bravo!
Would love to see more of this actress please!
No personal destruction is as perfect and absolute as self-destruction. No level of achievement can prevent it. No reason or lesson can evade it. It must be a choice that isn't really a choice but, a mirror. Does the person in the mirror deserve to exist?
Yep, this whole thing reminded me of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers song "Californication", especially the lines: "Destruction leads to a very rough road but it also breeds creation/And earthquakes are to a girl's guitar, they're just another good vibration...."
Wow, that was beautifully stated. So much so that I took a screenshot of it! Thank you for sharing ❤️😊
@@sisu4134 Kindly.
Wow. You've thought this out, eh?
"so what you're saying is..."
Male Kathy Newman over here
ikr, That Jordan Peterson interview was hilarious!!
The guy interrogating this gentle lady really wants to be a critic. It's about power.
Don't know a single person who would take this abuse. The guy is off his rocker.
Damn. She lost control of this interview the moment she got defensive, like a hostile witness in court. The more defensive she got the more the interviewer hammered her. This was uncomfortable to watch. My hats off to the film maker.
I love the description of the video and I'm so glad this channel exists
What a beautiful smile. A smile of delight. She got through it, and that is life sometimes, just getting through.
The last minute twist though...superb work guys..👏👏
That "cut" blew me! Great work! Bravo!
absolutely amazed by this film, brilliant actress, absolutely a brilliant storyline performance was outstanding , she nailed it, thank you
Just one little glimpse into fame in my opinion, not that id know😂 storylines in this are so thought out, absolutely brilliant.
Props to the actress on this performance. She wrote and directed this as well! The interviewer was great also
Wow these story’s just keep blowing me away
Wow! Very well done. The surprise ending topped it off.
You can't make an omeleto without breaking a few eggs.
Anyone who made other stressfull and depressed by his/her words, indentified as a psychopath. A great job of multi talented person as an actor, writer and director though it's still hard to get what is all about. Congrats Stella!
Odd, this reminds me of that Robert Dawny Jr interview🤔
He up and left, a lesser man would ve showed him the finger or told him to go f himself
Yeah man you got to pull the plug once they start acting up like that
He reminded me of tuck tuck. Lil tuck tuck "I'm just asking the question" Carlson.
This portrays the truth in the actress life. She might be curating her life, she was asked about deep soul breaking questions she is trying to hide. The set, the dress that she was wearing represents the depression and melancholy she is suffering with. The interviewer might be her subscouncious mind. He is revealing her all the truth. The truth she avoids to answer. This represents Us in the society. Half dead and half alive. So deep.
You have an interesting point of view
Thank you.
I'm glad I read about her smile because I was about to stop watching this. As a performer myself, I know how easy it is to tear down an artist's self esteem. Real or not, this was brutal.
Being famous is to be known by the world, But being Loved by no one
So glad it ended that way rather than what it looked like.
This interviewer reminds me of Kathy Newman questioning Jordan Peterson. “So what you’re saying is!?” Lol
yeah I too felt that
Well, that went straight to the core. Phenomenal performances, direction, cinematography, writing; everything. You could really put yourself in her shoes.
This is the second fear that all actors (no matter how famous) have.
The first is if they'll ever get another part. That never leaves them.
13.42 - 13.50, OMG just breath-taking beauty. What an amazing smile, this actress is really pretty.
Spoiler Alert: the interviewer is not real. He represents her own inner self critic. The film spells that out when you see her sitting in the interviewer's chair in a room (the room is her mind) where she can still see the scene she just shot being wrapped and she can hear the director's voice and clapping.
Really liked this. The lesson is that we are hardest on ourselves. We have to learn to love ourselves.
The critic is her superego. "I'm never alone these days," she says. As she gains renown, "he" shows up ever more frequently.
The fear to be not good enough drive so many people, but I never see it this good presented! Everybody need to see this! 👍🏻
OH WOW ! this was intense and totally unexpected ... acting brilliant ... cinematography awesome ... script/plot sensational ... please make more !!!
Intense!..outstanding performance!..and very beautiful Stella Velon.
Mind blowing work!
I did think it was all being shot as a scene of her film, because of the she was being questioned but then nearing the end I was convinced that this was happening to her afterall. But damn I was right at the first place, it was all an act afterall.
Brilliant work of art!
Her smile in the end is just priceless, gorgeous talented actress ❤️
Now I've got Fade Into You in my head
Is this a never ending paradox
she had every right to end that interview and definitely should have
Damn what a twist. I thought what was happening was real. So happy the drama was just her bringing out her better self. Well done!
Awesome & brilliant! Both acting & directing! One of my favorite movies. Definitely!
wiiiiicked... you gotta love art that makes you go, "Ooooooooooh!" The emotional rolercoaster, and especially the time jump was great!
I'd like to see him interview Jordan Peterson like that.
"you're taking me out of context."
"i read dostoyevsky"
Ah yes, i can't wait for that. I wonder what his response will be since those are more personal questions
The beginning and end of a career.
Definitive departure from the comfort zone.
Hey... wait a minute !!!
PS : Stella Velon is really a talentend artist. Great acting, directing, writing...
- the interviewer was not real. she was going through self introspection questioning her worth. the man who she imagined as interviewer could be projection of her own critical father.
- the moment where she enters bathroom, is the actual shoot of a scene in the film, she won award for. (she might also actually attempted suicide earlier when her ex died)
- in the end, she returns to reality from her imagination. (she finds herself appearing in the translucent chair with champagne glass on table and another empty chair. there's no camera or any other person. this is the same chair which she was sitting when the interview starts. which should be the point where she dissociates from reality after pulling curtains of balcony)
Did she really acted or just gone to her really dark past? I strongly believe that your past is the reason of your new self, the things which changed you ,made you more stronger are always the harsh experience you had in past, which you want to forget and try to move on. The way reporter asked those questions was actually tearing her past wounds In this short movie I don't believe the actress acted she reminded her dark past and obviously if the director didn't said cut she will get into her trauma.
Love for your acting mam, truly a fan. Thanks for sharing
i freely admit that though i do enjoy the omeleto shorts i clicked on this one because the actress is probably the most stunning woman ive ever seen.
So the interview was just an act?! I'm definitely confused now!
It's the scene which won her some award. I don't think the award was real but, after the fact, she may have won an award.
It's like a closed loop.
I think the interview is with her inner critic (self doubt) which leads her to commit suicide... the "cut" indicates her death - end of her final act of life. In the last scene her translucent figure is shown without the interviewer, meaning she finally got rid of her inner critic.
Periodic introspection...
The part where we see the video footing shot by the interviewer, contrasted against the actress's own very different perception of what is going on -- that is done extremely well. From that time forward we don't know what is 'true' and what is not. And then at the end nothing proves to be real :--)
Apparently I am not the only one who puts myself thru such mental anguish.
Well done all round.
Lol ..... Why do I feel like my throat is sinking 😂
Omg I'm so angry at the reporter ... You can answer what you want as the one being interviewed ....
And interpreting everything in such a heartless and offensive manner .... I wanna flippin punch them 😢
So dark, her death at the end as she flashes back to the movie scene.
Amazing film. First I thought, my God, I wish I had someone so harsh and brutally honest, who would know me inside out and confront me with all the lies i tell myself and then, when she locked herself in the bathroom I felt such sympathy for her because we are all lost and astray and we all need compassion and understanding.
Wow! I absolutely love Omeleto... I don't often have the words or the know to describe how I'm feeling sometimes. I'll be watching a Omeleto video in BOOM! It's as though someone has been browsing in my head and thought "let me organize and articulate these thoughts for her....". I absolutely loveeeee Omeleto for this. So very creative. I never really know what's coming. 👏👏👏
As someone who suffers from severe impostor syndrome, I really felt that. Whew!
So this is what being a guest on the Joe Rogan Show feels like
Her smile at the end is so adorable
damn, I wouldnt love to be at her place, but if I was her, I would have left the interview because those questions where kinda too personal
This would have been epic with a better actor for the interviewer. He comes off as irritating and immature instead of menacing and foreboding.
I feel like he was meant to be this way. Like he was the criticism she brought to herself (so, not actually a person). Really cool and saddening at the same time.
@@emyjulia3404 Yeah it seems like the interviewer was meant to be sort of irrational, pushy and unreasonably critical just as humans tend to be to themselves. The interviewer is irritating because that is how another person would view (y)our inner critic, as a voice that is not constructively menacing but annoyingly critical.
I've found him to be quite effective, given that a lot of people see him as triggering....and the scene is difficult to watch. That means he's doing a great job, in my opinion. :)
what if the ending is real.. she’ll ended up in the hospital. im glad
How did the previous locked door magically unlocked? Isn't that a plot hole?
living with depression, this guy represents my thoughts and just like her, I want to run from those words but how do you get away from your own head...
You don't run away from it, you face the enemy head-on. If you try to run away from it, you'll never succeed, because it's a part of you and it will follow you everywhere, until you root it out. But in order to do that, you need to face the traumas in your past. It's a fairly long and complicated process, but it's totally worth it, and it's the only way out. Good luck, my friend! You can do it!