<Oasis Homeless Short Film Competition Entry 2012 >



Blossom is a symbol of innate beauty, of potential to flourish, and of a process not yet complete. Blossom is a journey of perseverance despite all odds; a journey of self discovery at times of pain and desolation.

--------------------------------------------------------------
Blossom is a reflection of Zoe, a teenage girl who was forced by extreme circumstances to leave her home and live in her friend's homes, migrating from home to home when she overstays her welcome. This shortfilm concentrates on the internal, emotional turmoil of Zoe as she struggles to find herself amidst all the chaos and isolation.

​

​

Voiceover Script [uncut]:



I keep having this dream, this recurring dream. I look up, and the shades of grey, the flickering sounds and odorous scents, they all feel familiar. They all feel like family. But me? I feel lost; two dimensional, I feel... I feel like I don’t belong.

But soon enough, I just began to hide my insecurities... my loss, my anger; my frustration. I began to act strong, masking my fear under a course tough skin, behind rough and tormented eyes. Weakness meant fragility; vulnerability, so I acted like I was in control, as though rejection and isolation built me, from the ground up; piece upon piece.

As time passed, I just clung to the past. The why’s, the when’s, the who’s and the how’s, they just ceased to matter anymore, just like a bubble in the bath I suppose. As the tragedy of my family two years ago slips away ever so slowly from people’s memories, and as their sympathy runs dry and into drought, and your welcome is overstayed, you look to someone else for help, but eventually, luck runs out.

Weeks went by and I questioned myself. I’m forgetting who I am and why I was here, loosing myself. I realised the toll of this isolation like a parasite; chewing its way to my core, one piece at a time. I was stranded in society, alone... Where were my loved ones? My own friends I trusted? They were gone, heads turned another way; leaving me behind.

But In the end? I learnt that, when the light fades to grey, when your hope falls back to reality and your fate crumbles away to nothing. You learn to stand tall, leaning into the billowing headwind and moving forward.

So you begin to dream, your hope Intravenously dripping into your future. Because hope is the only thing that keeps you standing.

​​

 

Directed/cinematography/script/camera/edit/colour/sound mix by James Feng

​

Co-directed/casting/script/music/sound by Toby Speck

​

Starring Lauren Atkin

​

Technical Equipment:
Canon eos 550D (KissX4) with Magic Lantern installed
External Rode Video Mic, AGC disabled.

​

Programs Used
Ableton Live; Adobe After Effects; Final Cut Pro X

​

Special Thanks to Ben Li, Alexander Vuong and to all the staff and parents that gave their assisstance towards the production.

​

Topics: Australian youth / teenage homelessness / belonging / self discovery / journey of life / rejection / isolation / neglect / psychological turmoil / emotional upheavals /