The Balcony

Balkonas

Giedrė Beinoriūtė, Lithuania, 2008

Comment

This sequence links two situations together, opening up the children’s relationship. The situations develop in relation to the central column which separates the two balconies, which hinders any potential physical contact between them.

In the first part the divide between them is overcome by their use of hands as a sort of puppet, acting as shrunken avatars for themselves. Their interactions show that they are totally in synch with each other, as the girl offers a piece of her snack. The chance to touch hands is prompted by the girl, who says she is cold.

The second half of the scene sees their relationship become off balanced and uneven. The boy has created a ‘voyeuristic’ device, a sort of one sided rear view mirror, with which he can look at the girl without her knowing. He uses it to stare at her legs as she steps on the stool to hang out the laundry. Behind her laundry she notices, but doesn’t get angry, and starts a game of flicking with wet laundry.