Obscenes #01: Hospital Scene, “Fingers”

An ongoing personal reflection/deconstruction of scenes I’ve done, and how and why I did them. While “Fingers” is currently making the rounds on a DVD sampler published by Paste Magazine, the film will be screening at the 10th Annual deadCENTER film festival in Oklahoma City. The film will screen Friday, June 11th at 11:59pm at IAO Gallery. I’ll be there, so come by and say hello!

“Fingers” is a strange beast. After doing primarily documentaries in my undergraduate years, I decided to do a radical experimental narrative before I graduated, something to clean my palette before tackling some narratives.  The finished film has no dialogue and is told strictly through non-linear flashbacks. The film had no screenplay — it was shot completely off storyboards and a simple one page treatment.

The story centers around Paul, who reacts to the loss of his index finger the same way someone might grieve a loved one who passed away — his mind goes to unexpected places and recalls moments throughout his life where the finger played a role. Eventually the memories become more strained and confusing to the point he breaks out of them and returns to reality.

Part of what interested me about the project was simply the idea of touch, how fingers could be used to tickle, or explore, or offend. I loved thinking about – and exploring – the utility of our anatomy.

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