A brave exploration of psychoanalysis and the medium of film, Electra is a textual kaleidoscope investigating adolescent memories' impact on adult lives through stimulating techniques such as animation.
For filmmaker Daria Kashcheeva, psychology has stood as the biggest inspiration for her work throughout her artistic career. Particularly, the area of psychoanalysis that delves into how childhood roots could influence a person for the course of their entire life. In Kashcheeva’s 2019 film Daughter, which was nominated for Best Animated Short Film at the Academy Awards, the theme of father-daughter relationships through childhood and into adulthood takes center stage. This is a returning theme in Kashcheeva’s work, as her most recent film Electra builds upon this examination of familial relations between child and parent.
Navigating fantasy and reality, the protagonist of Electra dives into the memory of her tenth birthday to unlock suppressed feelings and painful experiences related to her mother and father. The film references psychoanalyst Carl Jung’s “Electra complex”, a theory stating that girls compete with their mother for the attention and affection of their father. This complex, along with the film, is centered around the father-daughter relationship, but goes beyond to discuss mother-daughter and familial relationships as well. Also alluding to the Greek myth of Electra, which revolves around the subject of filial loyalty and female revenge, Electra deals with the perception of womanhood. Whether it be women’s bodies or sexuality, the perception of women in society is ever-present and overbearing. Thus, though both the “Electra complex” and myth of Electra are from the past, their ideas and motifs are still relevant today, resonating with audiences from all walks of life.
While heavily inspired by Jung’s theories, Electra did not start with the psychoanalysis story but rather began after Kashcheeva worked with animating puppets on her previous film Daughter. After playing with the technique, Kascheeva decided she wanted to work with animating human actors, and with that came the idea of highlighting body perception and sexuality, leading to the narrative inspiration of the film. Animation is another staple of Kashcheeva’s artistry, as the filmmaker constantly plays with the form and experiments with the technique. Before filming for Electra, Kashcheeva and her cinematographer, Tomáš Frkal, spent two months testing the animation technique in a studio prior to production even taking place. While puppets are able to remain completely still take after take, working with human actors added natural ticks and jerks that added a sense of nervosity to the movements and overall film. Additionally, the filmmakers on the project developed a system of rigs to help stabilize the actors’ bodies and provide support, creating a visual effect that replicates the puppet animation in a smooth manner. Working under time constraints and in a fast-paced environment, Kashcheeva had to make detailed and understandable storyboard animatics so that there could be two animation sets in the studio, shooting and producing the vision of the film at the same time Kascheeva directs. The hardwork and dedication spent on the animation fosters a material wonderland that stimulates the viewer both visually and physically. Showcasing various textures like plastic, hair, skin, water, cake, juice, etc., the combination of live-action acting with animation allows the audience to not only see the film, but feel it.
Electra is not a film that shies away from uncomfortable feelings - in fact, it embraces them. Kashcheeva was aware and glad that the film elicits strong emotions from the audience, as this evocation resembles the inherent unease that can be produced when dealing with psychoanalysis. Upon delving into the subconscious, suppressed memories, feelings, or fantasies that may be unpleasant are prone to come to the surface. Just because we may not like these feelings does not mean we should not explore them. It is important to know this shadow of yourself in order to look at ourselves as a whole person. This is exactly what the protagonist of Electra does by recalling her tenth birthday. When we look upon our past, we better understand who we are presently.
Moving forward, Daria Kashcheeva is working on her first feature film that will further explore the idea and limitations of gender and body perceptions. But until the release of this exciting next film, catch this vivid and evocative rollercoaster of emotions and memories in the film Electra, which screens as part of Shorts Program #1 at the Spring 2024 New Jersey Film Festival on Saturday, January 27. It will be Online for 24 Hours and In-Person at 7 PM in Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ. Tickets are available for purchase here.
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