Winner of the Best Short Film for the Born of the Galaxy Stars Short Film Competition at the 5th Malaysia International Film Festival MIFFEST and MGGA, “Where Time Stood Still” was shot entirely on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, essentially highlighting the prowess of mobile filmmaking.
The film begins with a young woman inside an apartment checking a wardrobe, before she moves into the living room where she puts on a record that plays “Moonlight Memories” a track by Teo Wey Yinn. The music brings her back to a past with her now deceased partner, with her reminiscing of their times together, over a rather long phone call that happened at some point in the past. The two talk about their feelings, their thoughts, their fears, with her mentioning losing the people dearest around her and feeling abandoned, and him of change around him, things and people evolving. Their discussion goes on, even reaching the moon and Anita Mui, as the scenery changes a number of times, including the inside of a car and a theme park, through a tour guide approach that seems to be comprised of videos recorded on his, with her being the “protagonist”. Eventually, however, the song ends.
Mary Grace Liew directs a very appealing short, with her audiovisual approach being truly outstanding. DP Eunice Alexander captures the subtle melancholy the protagonist feels through his framing and the variety of images, while frames within frames and a collage of impressive images highlight a prowess that is usually met only in feature films. The combination with the music, and the smooth and warm voices of Janice Low and Chan Teik Quan result in a truly atmospheric short, that manages to invoke a sense of nostalgia even to the viewer who knows nothing about the protagonist or the places depicted in the movie. Audrie Yeo’s editing also adds to this atmosphere with the overall pace and the succession of scenes being in perfect resonance with the film’s aesthetics.
Janice Low is also great in the protagonist role, with the scene where she is in roller blades and the one sitting on an escalator standing out, as her subtle presence again fits the overall audiovisual approach of the film to the fullest
“Where Time Stood Still” is an excellent short, that manages to highlight the prowess of both mobile phone filmmaking and of Mary Grace Liew’s direction, in one of the most appealing shorts we have seen this year.
