George & The Dragon
George & The Dragon is a short experimental film by Boray Deniz Taspinar, which requires our attention and dedication to detail. Taspinar inspires us to apprehend George & The Dragon as more than a film and look outside of its framework, which proves to be righteous when the recipient realizes they are captivated from the very beginning.
In its broader definition, the film is a conceptual thesis. Coming from the author's own words, George & The Dragon is an exploration and critique of 'legendification'. The personal statements made in pitching the project, as well as the actual content that communicates with us on multiple levels, inevitably states of Taspinar as an erudite who has found his signature storytelling, essentially which is an expression of him as a complete auteur who handles every aspect of the production and filmmaking.
The fundamental components – the palette of vibrant colours, the intentionally exaggerated narration, the unsettling setting in which we observe the dragon, or to be more precise, the simulacrum of a dragon, whose phantasmagoria is rooted in our minds forever, the minimalistic foley sounds supported by the storyteller's voice – combine to deliver a one in a kind experience, for which the final recipient – the viewer – would appreciate. Meaning, George & The Dragon is not valid only when we watch it because it exists outside its running time. Taspinar is a talented filmmaker who gives a lecture on filmmaking and the process of finding the unique voice, yet he doesn't intend to sound pretentious with the final result. Quite on the contrary, his approach is grounded in reality and knows what it wants to achieve from the very beginning.
Symbolism is in every shot. The camera is constantly on the move, exploiting the most out of the limited settings. As a result, we experience the settings as dynamic. The camera's movement is as energetic as the storyteller's voice; the nuances at times occupy the front end, putting the actor in the background, only to wait for his moment in the close-up. Just when the dragon is defeated, the picture becomes monochromatic for the first and only time; it marks the catharsis, the calmness that arrives after every storm. As we approach the ending, the colours become more eccentric, especially the submissive ones.
As said before, one thing is sure – we would hear the narrator even long after the film ends. The use of words gives the film a re-watch value, as eight minutes pass by quickly in an otherwise complex project. George & The Dragon is on the same quality level as Jodorowsky's early artistic projects and David Lynch's short experimental films. Having said that, Taspinar is an aspiring filmmaker who we believe would have a fruitful career in arthouse cinema.