Art, in all its forms, attempts to express the inexpressible—ideas and concepts that are hard to describe in words. Gregory Alexander Foltynowicz tackles relationships and self-awareness in his arthouse short film, Facades.
Presented in black and white, Foltynowicz shows a man (Chris Kircher) and woman (Kaylee McGregor) in their attempt to make a connection. He opens in an empty white room as the man and woman struggle to prop themselves up with two arcane crutches. The image of this struggle is juxtaposed with a busy poolside cocktail party. Throughout the film, the pair individually finds themselves situations in setting and conditions that represent isolation.
“The greatest obstacle in connecting with others is almost always ourselves…”
The greatest obstacle in connecting with others is almost always ourselves and our negative self-image. Though we may be physically close to one another, the social distance we create keeps us apart. Foltynowicz makes a statement with his stark, crisp imagery within these white rooms set against the fluid images of our pair in water. Though I found the pacing very slow, his story is accessible to the artistically-challenged, like me.
Foltynowicz effectively creates visuals images that invoke feelings, and the interpretation is subjective and filtered through our own experiences. His use of black and white, along with the extremely wide aspect ratio, is meticulous and well-thought-out. Facades is a piece of art that just may draw you into an interesting conversation.
"…the pair individually finds themselves situations in setting and conditions that represent isolation."
