Director's statement:
This short film is an exaggeration of social conventions which serves as a critique of the emotionally stunted British typology. There is a stiff upper lip syndrome in the UK particularly - in an effort to be polite and not bother, some people have constructed a "social fiction" where, the all too famous "I’m fine" is used as a means to conceal real emotions. Smiling and laughing is not an indication that the person is happy; sometimes, the contrary is true. The critique, however, extends to the supporting characters too, who are willing contributors to the "fantasy" by failing to create an emotionally hospitable environment.
Pushing Daisy starts off as a classic sitcom, both in tone and visual style. The protagonist’s introduction singing "Stayin’ Alive" while dancing around a mortuary sets up the duality of humour and tragedy. The snappy, happy performance is meant to contrast the morbidity of the scene and emphasise this character’s tendency to package sorrow with cheer - a tendency which is simply a coping mechanism.
The tone and visual style remain consistent until the introduction of Marianne, who represents Daisy’s repressed trauma. The shift begins subtly, with flickering lights and muffled dialogue emphasising the artifice of what we call the Sitcom Filter. When James leaves, the style shifts to a harsher, oppressive Reality Filter, that evolves with Daisy's emotional arc. The sitcom filter reappears when Daisy interacts with her zany coworkers but ends with her eventual emotional collapse. Expressing her emotions prompts reality to take over and the sitcom filter to vanish, adding emotional layers to Daisy's struggle.
The set design and colour palette will also alter between the filters. While sitcoms are brighter and devoid of shadows, the reality segments will employ more dramatic tones and muted colours. We will go as far as dressing the actors in ill-fitting costumes, changing their hair and make-up and pulling back on the artifice of the set, making the rooms look bigger and emptier. We will make the two filters reflect the characters' emotional arc by leaning into the tropes of the genres.
The pacing is essential - the snappy, funny sitcom segments are contrasted with the contemplative beats of the reality filter. The rapid exchanges between Daisy and her coworkers become introspective monologues, and the laugh track is replaced by pensive silence. The transitions between the filters will be masked by whip pans and smash cuts to furhter juxtapose the projected societal image and the harshness of inner trauma, increasing the tension between the two emotional states.
The supporting characters, largely sitcom tropes, are meant to trigger Daisy’s emotional collapse. They populate her sitcom fantasy where conversations are mere workplace banter. Marianne’s arrival disrupts this dynamic, forcing the coworkers to react, heightening the dissonance. The mundane banter gains depth through dramatic irony, as the audience understands its larger context. This gradually merges the two filters, which cannot coexist—life, and this film, must pick a genre.
