Stop

Stop is a surreal short film by directors Serdar Çotuk and Buğra Uğur Sofu that portrays social dynamics at a bus stop, combined with playful alterations of staging and breaks in continuity. These are introduced through the characters’ interaction with a flying insect.

The short uses a low poly aesthetic with highly stylized characters, together with non-realistic sound, borrowing codes from video games. The camera is static and the short is presented in one long take, with no cuts, resembling a theatrical staging. Good effort is dedicated to blocking and choreography of characters, as well as to describing their personality and interactions.

The focus of Stop on playing with staging and continuity in non-conventional ways, and how it subverts a familiar social situation turns it into a completely unpredictable and fun film to watch.