SOLA, is a film about isolation.
Sometimes being alone feels like everyone in the world just disappeared. For SOLA everyone actually did. Everyone in the world Disappeared inexplicably. Sola has lived alone for years. In her isolation SOLA consoles herself through all the stages of grief by talking to herself. On tape. She relives her memories through these tapes on her journey to self healing
EXPLANATION
The film is a character study and there's a lot of exposition. She records her voice onto tapes and plays them back and has conversations with the tapes.
But the tapes are also memories she is reliving. Because she is co-dependent. The thought was that if the world disappeared the most interesting arc would be someone codependent because they need to be needed. Having nobody to enable their dysfunctions would be extra hard for them to deal with. So if they were alone they might start by having normal conversations about their day, but it would probably not hit as hard as their most traumatic memories. Because those were the times that most enabled them or drove them and made them feel connected.
There was an essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson called Solitude and society where he says “Solitude is impracticable, and society fatal.” Meaning that "You're damned if you do, damned if you don't" when it comes to being alone or being social. People destroy us, but we need people.
And I think that's the core of the story. Sola is isolated and dwelling on her past memories of her relationships. She both wanted to leave these destructive people and be on her own, but now that she's on her own she needs these people, and the film is her journey to understanding how to be okay with herself, her past, and life by herself.
Its heavy, it's sad, there's a lot to think about, but it's hopeful.
And there's a lot of meat for the audience to chew on.
The Chemistry Read
DAILIES
ROUGH CUTS for Crew
Full Film
Full Film v22
Picture lock (maybe). Major timing changes. went back to older coverage for the mom argument
Full Film v19
Fixed boyfriend scene 06 to have less cuts and stay on the wide 2 shot more. fixed mom fight scene 10
Full Film v14
Full Film v12
SCENE06 v03
trying to use the wides and single takes
Scene06 v04
Sticking with closeups
Scene06 v05
Edited coverage as originally intended mix of both 03 and 04
Scene06 v06
This is the one where we stay on the 2 shot of them for as long as possible
Scene06 v07
this one favors staying on the wide 2 shots and cutting in on the singles only on the good lines for the kitchen scene
Scene 10 v03
The version that is in the cut v12. coverage as originally intended. posting it for comparison
Scene 10 v04
Alternative cut using over the shoulder with mom towering over even though it’s focusing on sola’s left eye and not the right and is a little soft
Scene10 v05
Getting rid of awkward shots in the middle and making the scene shorter
Scene10 v06
This version uses the coverage of the mom towering over Sola