Textual Analysis of 'Cosmic Divide' (Bertie Gilbert, 2014) by Melissa Thomas

Cosmic Divide

'Cosmic Divide' directed by Bertie Gilbert

(24/11/2014)

Found on: YouTube

Watched on: YouTube

A voicemail reveals that two characters haven’t seen each other in several years, almost sounding like he is talking to a past love. It follows an actor and it is revealed at the end that there are two characters who are twin brothers when one appears on the other’s doorstep. 

The narrative of this film is linear and chronological but does not have a clear ending. Gilbert has used this open ending to get the audience to think. At the very beginning the titles "what's the story here?" appear on-screen. I think this is effective because there are many different interpretations which all raise different social issues.

A majority of the film uses a voice over. It has a grainy quality like a voicemail. While this occurs there is a series of parallel cutting which follows an actor inside an apartment and outside. The film hints at the connection between the characters by using graphic match with the indoor setting handheld close up of the prop controller and the outdoor setting handheld close up of the prop headphones. They all suggest a sense of nervousness but it is not revealed in the plot why.

The indoor setting contains:

• Lots of over the shoulder shots
• Frequent dark, silhouette lighting and dark colours
• Canted, very high angles looking down at the character
• Low key lighting, only lit by phone light until it is switched off and there is only a silhouette

Which all hide the character's emotions, having facial expressions revealed from canted angles or in reflections, if at all. Paired with the voice over expressing the distance and length of time of being apart, the title "Cosmic Divide" appears to suggest the distance between the two characters which includes an emotional distance, this could be why his emotions aren't very clear, because he doesn't know what to think.

This is done slightly differently to the outdoor setting which contains: 

• Long duration, handheld tracking shots
• Brightly lit settings and jump cuts to very darkly lit settings
• Contrasts between close ups, medium close ups and extreme long shots
• A match on action where he wipes water from a set of traffic lights (prop) which could represent the gesture of wiping tears from somebody's face
• Clear but neutral facial expressions

Which, similarly to the indoor setting, make the emotions of the character unclear. However, Gilbert may have done this to represent the mix and uncertainty of emotions the character is feeling. Perhaps he is wanting to make things right between the two characters but is struggling to overcome that "cosmic divide".

The film ends inside the indoor setting where a diegetic knock on the door follows the ending of the voice over. The man releases an on-screen diegetic sigh but it remains in silence after that. The camera is still handheld representing his troubled thoughts. The door opens to reveal the other character who shares the dialogue "hey... brother". There is a shot reverse shot of their uncertain, hopeful and sad facial expressions. 

The use of the platform YouTube was effectively used by Gilbert as it allowed the audience to share their interpretations of the film. From this, the film changed meanings and representations frequently. For example, one viewer's opinion was that the brother had died and he had hallucinated him at the end saying "he imagines his brother as himself because he doesn't know what he would look like 5 years later" which changes the meaning from a "cosmic divide" between emotional connection, but between life and death, representing how people of his age and gender cope with death and grief. Another viewer's opinion, however, suggested that it raised issues of drugs and alcohol, that maybe that was what had caused the "cosmic divide" between the brothers.

The answer to the original question "what's the story here?" is never answered by Gilbert himself but he has effectively allowed the audience to engage by creating the story themselves to fit Gilbert's plot. I, personally, really liked this idea as the short film is interpreted in ways that means the most to the viewer, acting as a form of communication with them, rather than a source of just entertainment.