The Veil of Thanatos

Performance: Lorenza DI CALOGERO, Raúl HUAMAN.
Filmmaking: Blas PAYRI

The Veil of Thanatos explores the conflict between Eros (the life drive) and Thanatos (the death drive) in Freudian theory. Named after the Greek god of death, Thanatos embodies the drive towards destruction and self-sabotage. The protagonist, overwhelmed by the internal tyranny of the superego, experiences guilt and unworthiness whenever seeking pleasure. As the death drive dominates, the character succumbs to this internal battle, veiling herself in darkness and surrendering her desires, leading to the emotional death.

Filmmaking Process
In the short film, two characters represent these conflicting drives: a female character in a white nightgown within a home, and a male character in black, wearing a black veil. The male character appears first by covering the female character's face with his hand and then pulling her away, shaking and jolting her with increasing violence. Eventually, she turns around and pushes him away, causing him to disappear through a classical editing technique—a shot with both characters followed by a reverse shot with only the remaining character.
The film employs distinct cinematic techniques to create three contrasting states:
1. Alone and At Peace:
    * Camera: Stable movements with wider shots.
    * Color and Light: Lighter color treatment.
    * Sound and Music: Naturalistic sound treatment, featuring ambient sounds and the character's footsteps and actions.
2. Fighting the Obscure Enemy:
    * Camera: Becomes more active and frantic.
    * Editing: Dynamic with shorter shots.
    * Color and Light: Darker and more red.
    * Sound and Music: Frantic music with a rhythmic impulsion based on reversed sounds and percussion, replacing naturalistic sounds.
3. Following the Life Drive of Eros:
    * Camera: Surreal and dreamlike movements.
    * Color and Light: Inverted, creating a surreal and light world.
    * Sound and Music: Melodic and harmonic music, reminisce