Répétition | Nathan Hamilton

RÉPÉTITION

About

Having managed to find an empty practice room in the busy rehearsal studios, a young musician grabs his opportunity to escape the chaos of the loud and frenetic world outside the best way he knows how: by losing himself in music. However, when the outside world comes crashing in moments later in the form of a beautiful young dancer, he is caught completely off guard. Transfixed by her, they find themselves in a confusing moment of tension, leaving him faced with a whole new chaos he's never experienced before and her with feelings she can't quite process.

As he scrambles for something to say, his nerves fail him. Embarrassed, she exits almost immediately, leaving the poor musician with nothing but his regret, his frustrations and his music. It's that music that keeps the connection alive, and what follows is a recognition of the daily highs and lows of human interaction, the imbalance of uncertainty, the promise of surprise.

The Film

The idea behind this award-winning short film, 'Répétition' is one of hope.

The film captures 9 minutes in one extraordinary day, shared between two young people who started out simply looking for a space to rehearse. "Shared" is a term used loosely however, as whilst we watch their connection evolve into something unexpected - we see it all unfold on either side of a dividing wall.

The physical separation between our two characters is an important aspect of the film, as is the fact that we never learn their names.

We are introduced to both characters in a way that tells us that they are not only here to rehearse, but here to escape. That escapism would ordinarily take the form of isolation, indulging in their given talents alone. However, this idea of singular escapism is challenged when they cross paths, and we explore what happens when on this day, they are met with the unexpected.

Their first meeting, or first "connection" is enough to suggest that there may be something to explore between them. However, it is cut short by the preoccupation of pride in one case, fear in another and life carries on, almost extinguishing any hope of finding out 'what could have been'.

This fleeting moment acts only as a precursor to the main action of the film. The suspicions we derive in the first meeting are only a taste of what's to come. The unique link that bonds these two people may have been formed, but it only really starts to take shape when the element of music is introduced.

The expression in his music, though stilted at first, calls to her, and soon she is compelled to explore it further through her own form of creative escapism: dance. As the piece picks up, so does her understanding of his rhythm, his tempo, his personality that breathes and bleeds through every note that he plays. It is a form of romance that seems reserved for these two unique individuals, and we await to see where the rest of the journey will take them.

As we continue to witness unprecedented levels of technological advancement in the real world, with social media and dating apps becoming the norm, Répétition is a gentle nod to the idea that sometimes life is better when simplified. The notion is optimistic, granted, but it is intended to take us out of our anxieties surrounding the pressure of having to "find love".

Life has a funny habit of providing something from nothing when you least expect it. Hope must exist, strength must prevail and connections happen everyday, in any number of ways. You just have to be open to them.