Pine
Film, 2016
In a psychotherapy session a girl remains silent. As her anxiety increases, sounds amplify and the reality of the room fractures, opening onto psychic realms of symbolism and folklore. The heroine embarks on a wordless journey through land and sea on a quest for the ever unattainable golden orb.
As well as screening at art galleries Pine also screened at international film festivals such as Cine-City Brighton Film Festival 2016.
Cast and Crew
Girl 1 - Jess Bass
Girl 2 - Sophie Hollamby
Therapist - Rose Akroyd
Beast - John Emery
Indoor Cinematography - Theodor Brinch
Outdoor Cinematography - Phoebe Hardwick
Director/Producer - Emily Badescu
More About The Film
I'm interested in storytelling archetypes. The Crone, The Heroine, The Ogre, The Quest, and The Golden Orb, in particular. I am drawn to setting my films in timeless places. I see the forest and sea as mythical dream-like spaces. I'm interested in that pull towards the unattainable object, the murky layers of the subconscious and hidden trauma.
When developing Pine I drew on elements from mythology and folklore, stories such as 'The Princess And The Frog' and the relationship between Medusa and Athena in Ancient Greek Mythology.
The therapist character was inspired by the Greek Goddess Athena. In the myth Athena was born from Zeus’s head. Born of man alone, rendering the female impotent. She is the un-nurtring woman. A threatening force dressed in female form. Athena punished Medusa for having been raped and orders her beheading.
The beast character was inspired by the toad in the fairytale 'The Princess And The Golden Ball'. In Pine the beast lures the heroine with sound and breast feeds on a golden balloon.
Air is an important symbol in this film. The heroine is voiceless, searching for air, for breathe. Water symbolises emotion and it is the liquid that sustains all life. Water can revive or drown you. In Pine, the golden orb has many faces - the pendant, the porcelain man, the golden balloon, the sun, forever out of reach.