Caterpillar
David Field directed a beautiful master, "Caterpillar" that is mesmerizing and will transform your imagination.
At the beginning of the film, we are introduced to an old lady sitting all by herself drawing what appears to be a dress. On the nightstand is a picture of a young woman. From how the shot is taken, it is apparent that this is her on the picture. Just from this brief snippet, we can already see how lonely and desolate she is as the emotions in her eyes say it all. Her only confidant is her cat. Maybe her loved ones deserted her, maybe they don’t know she exists, or worst of all maybe she has no family. These are the thoughts running through anyone watching the short film.
In her house, she has both sewing and silk spinning machines. The dress she was drawing might have been something she had already made or thought about making. She receives a letter whose contents appear to devastate her. Afterward, she falls asleep and wakes up to find her house infested with silk-spinning caterpillars. While this would terrify many, she embraces it and decides to use the 'free' silk supply to make the dress she was drawing.
Director David Field introduces an unforeseen twist of events. Once the old lady completes making her dress, before trying it on her skin starts to peel off. We don't explicitly see this process as the camera is not directed at her leaving us to act on our imagination. She wriggles naked on the ground and suddenly stops. She wakes up decades younger. She looks the same as the picture on her nightstand. She has just gone through a form of reverse metamorphosis. How could this happen? Is it even humanly possible?
But alas, this is all an epiphany. The old lady was looking at herself in the mirror this entire time and picturing herself younger wearing that dress. If only she could return to her younger self maybe she could turn her life around. If only this were possible then nobody would ever die of old age. The film’s simplicity and ability to use voiceless cinema and at the same time conjure an invigorating experience to its audience is something to behold and worth anyone’s time.
Article written by Brenda Jones.