Production Diary: Meshes of the Afternoon (Maya Daren and Alexandr Hackenschmied, 1943)

Meshes of the Afternoon is a 14-minute experimental short film directed by and starring Maya Daren and Alexandr Hackenschmied, a husband and wife duo. The film is highly avant-garde in nature, displaying ambiguous and psychologically stimulating symbols through mise-en-scène, including: flowers, keys, knives and mirrors. The events of the seemingly circular narrative are ultimately left up to the viewer’s own personal interpretation, creating a wholly unique experience.

The grim reaper–esque figure seen throughout the film holding a flower

The film uses a wide variety of visually intriguing editing techniques in order to make the film highly enigmatic throughout. Daren and Hackenschmied manipulate the viewer’s perception of reality and location through the use of match on action. The filmmakers also utilise the early limitations of film in a way that only helps the film flourish. The dark gaps between each frame are accentuated throughout the film, particularly during the staircase scene – cuts of the protagonist are displayed standing at different positions on the stairs, with no apparent movement in between. Through this, the filmmakers have truly demolished all sense of a coherent time and space.

Personally, I really enjoyed Meshes of the Afternoon and was highly engaged in the ambiguous narrative and was fascinated by eerie atmosphere that the film established. The film demonstrated to me that simple editing techniques can be used in an array of creative ways to shape how meaning is conveyed.