Setting

The film is set in the city Kosice across various intimate and public spaces—a classroom, a theater and the stage, a tram, Aria’s bedroom, the school bathroom, and the city’s streets at night. These spaces reflect Aria’s routine and the world she personally lives, emphasising the isolation Aria feels.

Lighting

Almost the entire film’s lighting is darker and naturalistic with shadows, especially in interior and night scenes (bathroom, tram, night walk, bedroom), creating a gloomy and dreamlike tone. The stage scene ,however, has bright lighting, symbolizing hope and a contrasting space indicating Aria may find passion there. Light from windows and practicals like the desk lamp adds realism and warmth.

Costumes and makeup

The main character,Aria, wears basic, darker and muted clothes while also wearing darker eye shadows in some scenes, showing her lack of passion and self-expression since she is also suffering from depression. The ballet dancers’ flowing white costumes evoke hope and freedom and their natural light makeup makes them appear almost angel like, symbolizing Aria’s new found muse.

Props

• Aria’s camera – a lens to her identity, representing her perspective and search for meaning
• Printed photographs – documentation of her nonexistent self-expression, pictures containing no emotion, therefore no meaning
• Aria’s school textbooks – representing her daily life resulting in her depression and exhaustion
• Mirror and windows – used symbolically for self-reflection and inner conflict
• “See the light” performance flier- symbolises the beginning of hope as it coincidentally appears next to her almost as serendipity.

 Composition and Framing

Many close-ups and over-the-shoulder shots emphasize subjective experience of Aria since the story is told through her perspective. Mirror and window shots show her emotional distance socially and her lack of emotional connection to photography and art. Shots of her alone in public or lost in thought reinforce a sense of isolation emphasising her depression. The wide/ long shot when Aria enters the theatre symbolizes her isolation and distance from art and her muse.

 Color Palette

 The entire film, except the ending, contains neutral, duller tones like beige, gray, soft blacks and sometimes yellow, appearing dreamlike but also grim, reflecting Aria’s mind. The theater stage at the end of the film,however, has vibrant red curtain, bright eluminating lighting and white costumes, which stands out visually, reinforcing themes of escape or transformation and self discovery where Aria finds her passion.

Mood & Themes

  The mise-en-scène includes themes of loneliness, creative longing, self-expression and the line between dreams and reality. The contrast between Aria’s mundane life and the theatre show the importance of self discovery and art.