CINEMATOGRAPHER | Tom Filipe

Directed by Khloë Windsor

Bitter Taste - Short Film (2021)

Role: Director of Photography, Producer

Project filmed with Sony PMW-F5 with Samyang Xeen PL Mount Lenses.

Festivals:

Official Selection | May-June, 2021 | Blackboard International Film Festival

Best Student Short - Special Mention | August 2021 | Accord Cine Fest

Best Short LGBTQ | September 2021 | V.i.Z. Film Fest

Official Selection | 2021 | Portsmouth Shorts::Cut Film Festival

Official Selection | 2021 | Southampton Film Week

Best Student Short Film | October 2021 | Cooper Awards

Official Selection 19-21 | 2022 | The INDIs Film Festival

Official Selection | 2022 | Sincine Film Festival

Official Selection to be Screened at the 2022 City Eye Pre-Pride Queer Shorts

Reviews

"(...) The sense of confinement is further translated via the terrific technical aspects exhibited during the course of this film. The particular approach to cinematography is an aspect that fully shines in this short. We experience the pivotal conversation through the intricate lens, highlighting close-ups of our main leads that amplify how they both disclose secrets relating to each other and the environment that starts to shatter with every truth. Two shots that perfectly encapsulate the atmosphere include one which depicts both characters in their dimly lit doorway with Mia only being seen, and one where only Emily is present after their conversation. Equally, these precise moments portray the gradual distancing and newly established boundaries separating that connection that once was.

Bitter Taste is a truly captivating short film that showcases far more than a relationship simply falling apart due to secrets. It communicates a story underlined by an important social commentary and eye for detail that resonates long after its initial running time. Short films such as Bitter Taste are critical in our current social climate for positive change purely based upon the realistic representation of an LGBTQ+ relationship which many can connect with. The filmmakers behind this project show tons of potential and hopefully, they create more exciting projects in the future."

- by Ethan Soffe

"Such a rigour to this film, it explored a relationship in peril with great detail and with great focus. There was something very cogent about it. The dialogue was very strong and the acting as well very robust from start to finish."

- by Colm McAuliffe for INDIsFestival

“This was really tight filmmaking, really nice simplicity, which allowed the characters and their storyline to explode out of the screen. It was really beautifully done.”

- by Evelyn Griffiths for INDIsFestival

"The foundational idea here is, of course, communication. How frail is communication and commitment, primarily to oneself and secondarily to our loved ones? Honesty becomes a relative term when it comes to subjectivity, which is why we need to regularly check how we frame and understand the narrative of our life. Every story has as many aspects as the parties involved, so in this case as well, both parties have rightful points of view.

The bitter taste we get while watching it, concerns the lengths we go to find love, distancing us more and more from actually finding it. Society is the protagonist here, poisoning our sense of self-identity and leading us to self-discriminate, self-sensor, and ultimately self-deprive. The bitter taste it leaves us with, concerns the society we live in and shape, rather than the protagonists themselves: what can be done to alleviate the pressure of social stereotypes, especially for marginalised groups?

It’s difficult not to sympathise with both parties, ultimately realising that the enemy is societal conditioning itself, rather than our profound malicious intentions. The film has already been introduced to the public through various Festivals, while upcoming screenings are available. (...)"

- by Areti Micha

"(...) Depois de uma noite entre amigos, Emily (interpretada por Rosie Carson) e Mia (Kirsty Nunn) chegam a casa e Mia percebe que a sua namorada está estranha. Depois de muito insistir, Emily acaba por revelar o que se passa e é a partir daí que o casal se envolve numa infeliz discussão.‘Bitter Taste‘ é uma curta que mostra mais uma vez como a sociedade ainda tem, infelizmente, influência perante a comunidade LGBTQ+ e como é difícil para a mesma viver a sua vida sem medo de represálias e olhares de terceiros.

Extremamente bem escrito, os 9 minutos passam a voar e somos facilmente absorvidos pela história, bem como facilmente nos conectamos com estas personagens. A química entre as duas atrizes é excelente e as duas entregam boas performances.

Enaltecer também a excelente fotografia. Cada shot é simplesmente deslumbrante, com uma paleta de cores bastante satisfatória. (...)

‘Bitter Taste‘ é uma curta que sabe a pouco e que nos faz querer mais.

- by TvFlick

"Bitter Taste is a short film centred on the relationship of two women. A seemingly innocent night out with friends explodes into the frank and brutal revelation of buried truths. The conversations felt genuine and the content relatable. For so many people, especially those in the LGBTQ+ community, the exchange between Emily and Mia would ring true.

Some of the more technical aspects that I enjoyed in Bitter Taste were the use of close-ups and lighting in the scene after the party. The purple hue, combined with the use of shots made a relatively normal setting much more aesthetically stimulating, it enhanced the tension between the characters and served as a reminder to the audience of its late-night, post-party setting. I thoroughly enjoyed the visuals of the final moments; the entrance of the title along with music on Mia’s reaction to Emily’s exit simultaneously concludes the end of the argument and the film itself. A clean ending that was appreciated.

A little bonus was the animations that followed with the credits; a nice touch."

- by Scarlett Brice-Adams

Credits
Produced by Tom Filipe
Written and Directed by Khloë Windsor

Editor | Khloë Windsor
End Titles | Khloë Windsor

Starring:
Rosie Carson as Emily | Kirsty Nunn as Mia | Harry Lockett as Ollie

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