Short Film: Meshes Of The Afternoon by Maya Deren

Maya Deren - Meshes of the afternoon (1943)

The first time I watched this film I wasn't sure if I really liked it or not. I watched it again the other day in my History of Avant-Garde class, and I loved it. I think the first time I was bothered by all the jump cuts and I was very confused by it. The second time watching it I think I understood it much better. I also think I understand the feeling of it alot better than I did the first time around.

After learning a little bit about Deren's history I understand a lot better maybe why she made this film. I also noticed little hints along the way that clued me in to her feelings that I didn't notice the first time.

Apparently Deren was remarried several times and I do believe that this film depicts her unhappiness with her first husband, or at least her unhappiness in general. There are several hints that seem to show her unhappiness throughout the film. Also the film is very similar to Inception. (Maybe Christopher Nolan got his idea from this film?)

One thing I definitely saw as a sign of her unhappiness was the addition of the mirrored face figure. I found this figure to be very creepy throughout the film so it was really unnerving. I also noticed that at one point durring the flim the figure places a flower on the bed. Later on in the film her husband does the same action-in the exact same way. I really think that this shows that Deren was unhappy with her husband.

Another clue that showed her unhappiness was that the entire film was based around 1 event. It was the exact same event, but she was in different areas during the event. It seems like she's trapped within this one event and the only way out is through death. I think this could show how she felt trapped within her marriage.

I think there are many different ways people could view this film. I think it shows her unhappiness within her marriage. Unfortunately there is no way to know what the film means to her, but I think it's open for the audience to interpret.