Slap (2015) Analysis

Slap, directed by Nick Rowland, is the short 25 minute film about a teenage boy boxer (Connor) who secretly likes to dress up in women's clothes and makeup. Throughout most of Slap, there is a grainy quality to the film, and the colours are dulled down. This dulling down of colours also help to reflect genre and emotion through the film, a drama with feelings of being trapped inside a dull town where he can't truly be himself. As well as this, the duller, greyer colours used make the makeup and clothes Connor wears when does dress up stand out more. Although the film is set in modern times, this grainy quality gives the film a more 90s or early 2000s ambience. I thought the film's narrative and quality was fairly similar to the film "Billy Elliot". I thought that perhaps, this quality was mirroring the quality of the Billy Elliot film (released in 2000) and to give a harder, more realistic and down to earth ambience to the film, which also reflects the setting of the film (a very British, rough northern town). The setting gives the film a grittier feel, making an audience feel tense throughout as the stereotypes that come with these rough northern council estates would mean that many of the characters in this town would not be very accepting for Connor's dressing up. There is also an indication to this prejudice of some characters in the film when Connor's gay friend is attacked and beaten up for being gay. There were many hand held camera shots all throughout the film, which again is more natural and gives the film a further sense of realism.