Imponderabilia
Descending into the abyss of the mind
Directed by Antonio Vasaturo
Imponderabilia is a commentary on beauty standards, exploring body dysmorphia through powerful visual allegories. Directed by Antonio Vasaturo, the short film quickly morphs into an experimental project, drawing inspiration from online anecdotes and anonymous stories. In our Q&A with Vasaturo, he shares his creative odyssey, navigating the intricate challenge of conveying internal struggles through cinematic language.
Your film Imponderabilia explores the theme of body dysmorphia through visual allegories. Can you share more about your creative approach?
The transition from what you have in mind to what you will actually bring to life is always traumatic because it has to clash with the filter of "feasibility". In a context in which you have few means available, it is therefore important to first look around to understand what you can actually do.
In this case, Imponderabilia was originally supposed to be a short movie, but due to various difficulties it never saw the light. However, since the desire to film and above all to explore this theme was compelling to me, I decided to test myself with something new: an experimental-short to condense the greatest quantity of meaning with few means and in a short time.
It all started with the metaphor of the "heavy body" jumping upon a scale to take flight without succeeding. I found this allegory highly impactful and I continued to explore this with the following images. While writing I focused on a concept, then tried to build an impactful image around it enclosed in a single shot. The experiences that I managed to collect online and through my channels were crucial to my writing, as the monologue is written starting with those. They also formed the basis for the visual allegories.
The film is inspired by the anonymous stories you collected on social channels. What was the process like? How did these stories influence and shape the narrative of Imponderabilia? Were there any particular anecdotes that left a lasting impact on you during the creative process?
I wanted to give a social value to this short, so I decided to create an online listening space through an anonymous notebook open to all. I shared it on Instagram, but it didn't work - no one wrote, perhaps because you needed to register and everyone could "edit" each other's texts. I then decided to try a more immediate approach, that is the app extension "NGL" on Instagram, which meant direct, quick and anonymous questions. In this instance I was the one asking the audience to tell me about their relationship with their body.
I collected approximately 15/20 experiences with many points in common, which I used as keywords to construct the monologue.
What you hear at the beginning is the experience of a person dear to me (or perhaps mine...) who condenses in a few verses how this is a mental illness and not just a physical one.
“It all started with the metaphor of the “heavy body” jumping upon a scale to take flight without succeeding.”
The protagonist undergoes a powerful transformation in the film. How did you work with the cast to convey the emotional and physical aspects of this metamorphosis?
I believe that each of us has a particular relationship with our body. The protagonist in this case is a 17 year old girl who lives in our social media society, which in my opinion has seriously worsened the perception of our body and the concept of beauty. At the first reading of the monologue the protagonist was already completely and emotionally involved.
Imponderabilia addresses the societal pressure to conform to certain beauty standards. How do you hope audiences will respond to the film, and what discussions or reflections do you anticipate it sparking among viewers?
I don't know if this little short of mine will be able to have a strong resonance, but what I would like is to stimulate awareness especially for those who are completely engulfed by their narcissism. They unconsciously cause a lot of harm to those who in silence can't even look at themselves in the mirror. Social media's standards of perfection only make their illness worse. I would like my short film to have the same effect as rubbing salt on wounds; in the film these are the wounds from which the wings will grow and need to be healed. They burn and hurt, but they will have a purifying catharsis allowing their rebirth and the ability to fly away.
Were there specific challenges you faced during the production, and how did your team contribute to overcoming them?
This little project put me in a difficult position several times. I didn't use the standard approach of writing and directing, but I used a method that mixed writing, directing, editing, grading, all together and I kept track step by step of what worked and what didn't, especially in terms of the rhythm of the narrative. I have never deleted so many edits, but it was necessary as I wanted to avoid building something confusing. Since there are no sequences, scenes or standard narrative writing, like in a short film where everything is organised and precise, it was not easy to understand what was missing and what needed to be eliminated. This is why I was lucky to work with only one protagonist and abandoned locations, so I could count on these two elements whenever I needed them, even just to shoot a five-second clip. Being free to move as director is a blessing.
From your first video clip to your latest short film, you've made significant strides in your filmmaking journey. How do you feel you've evolved as a director, and what are the key milestones that have contributed to your growth?
First of all, I think I have learned to manage some of my "set anxiety", whereas before everything had to be precise and organised. Now I am able to rely on sudden inspiration and instinct. I still have a lot to learn, but the thing that made me grow the most was my self-awareness regarding the ideas that I built shot after shot. Above all, I’m grateful for the “education of my eyes”: watching many films, shorts, video clips, reading, observing those who are better and above all not being afraid of being judged by those who don't know you. I believe that those who love us, in one way or another, will never tend to be extremely negative towards us. Receiving so many rejections from festivals is heartbreaking, but it helps you understand and grow.
Director: Antonio Vasaturo