PremiumLost Face On ShortsTV - Defiance and survival in the face of exploitation
Lost Face (2016), a visually stunning short film, is available on ShortsTV through your OTTplay Premium subscription.
Last Updated: 12.42 PM, Apr 27, 2024
The exploitation of indigenous communities has been one of the most serious tragedies for years. Communities that were marginalised were only allowed to be on the radar when the high priests of society needed work done. Their lands were exploited, women were mistreated, children were left devoid of education, and they weren't allowed the luxury of progress, which for the rest was the norm. It was only recently that Martin Scorsese, in his latest directorial effort Killers Of The Flower Moon, explored the story of how white folks exploited the Osages and took away everything from them. But almost a decade before that came a short film that took an interesting perspective on the subject and was visually one of the most stunning pieces of art. We're talking about Lost Face.
About Lost Face
Lost Face, streaming on ShortsTV and available through the OTTplay Premium subscription, is a short film adapted by the literary stalwart Jack London and directed and shot by Sean Meehan. It is a story about fur thieves who enslave an indigenous tribe to build a snow fort that stands tall in a landscape covered with the most pristine white snow. But one day, the tribe revolts and kills the fur traders, leaving only two survivors, Subienkow and Big Ivan. While Big Ivan is being tortured, Subienkow hatches a plan. He tells the tribe's leader that he has a warrior secret that he wants to trade his life for. How that unfolds is the essence of the short film.
Lost Face Analysis
Lost Face is a mystery unfolding slowly, like a magic show where you're left wondering whether Subienkow’s claim that his potion can turn him into a man so hard that even the sharpest weapon cannot penetrate through him will work. The entire 13-minute runtime is flooded with this question. The haves are not under the have-nots' control, and the have-nots have become so cruel that they don't mind tearing each of their oppressors apart, piece by piece. But the oppressor is an oppressor for a reason, and the lack of knowledge makes the indigenous tribe vulnerable.
Sean Meehan explores Lost Face with his love for Jack London and visual artistry. He slowly builds a narrative, reaching a crescendo that will not only kill one but two people, one literally and the other figuratively. As the story progresses, you realise Subienkow is playing some kind of game because he is more cunning than the powerful tribe standing in front of him. But that doesn't mean the tribe lacks intelligence. Yakaga, played by Morris Birdyellowhead, is always against the idea, but the chief Makamuk (Gerald Auger) doesn't bother because he has been lured by the idea.
The central idea of Lost Face is the power dynamic of a man seeking freedom and another suspending his existing power for another power that is nothing more than a mirage. Subienkow, with his last blow, doesn't just attain his freedom by running away from torture; rather, he kills the fear that Makamuk has created in his tribe to be their leader. He dilutes his power and pushes him down from the pedestal he is sitting on in the minds of his community. In a way, he makes him lose his face.
The visuals, sounds, and haunting poetry of Lost Face are terrific. Martin Dubreuil, as Subienkow, is effortlessly brilliant. The best part is that, reportedly, the makers have cast people actually belonging to the indigenous community to play the tribe. It's a short film you must watch. Lost Face is now streaming on ShortsTV, and you can watch it with your OTTplay Premium subscription. Stay tuned to OTTplay for more such recommendations and everything else from the world of streaming and films.