The Sea Is Too Much To Drink

Created by French artist Charlotte Arene this wonderful short playfully stages a character’s sleep linking it to sounds, rhythms and visuals from the sea, and the experience of being submerged.

The sound came first, this idea of a constant sea-surf sound.

Staging makes interesting use of objects. Located inside a house, urban/household elements are re-signified and creatively employed to transmit sensory images belonging to nature and the sea.

The film does not provide a traditionally unfolding narrative, but it does offer a number of progressions which maintain temporal continuity (such as the storm developing within the character’s sleep). Due to the focus on transmitting sensory images, visuals are driven by sound, as opposed to mainstream filmmaking. Tighter framing is employed for this same reason, and spatial continuity is playfully disregarded in some sequences, too (such as the glasses changing shape in 1.12-1.15).

What makes it work so well? The film’s playfulness, refreshing staging and remarkable creativity make it constantly tease and surprise the viewer. It’s one of those shorts that rewards multiple viewings.

The Sea Is Too Much To Drink (La mer à boire) was produced for a call for films issued by French collective Le Transmutateur.