When asked what his inspiration was for the idea of his short film We Have Decided Not To Die, Daniel Askill’s response was:  “I think it was actually a single image of this guy floating outside this 50th story window and the idea of him not dying. Just that single image.” This strangely unusual eleven minute short film is a “modern day allegorical triptych”, that visually (and ambiguously) represents the three rituals of birth, between and rebirth.

In this weeks reading; “The Substance of Story”, the key elements of a narrative are discussed. Points mentioned are that protagonist is crucial, there needs to be a bond between the audience and the film and there are various levels of conflict.The film as a whole does not have one line of dialogue, any sort of character development or a sense of resolution – all elements that seem important in a narrative piece. Although these things are lacking and there are levels of conflict, perhaps a bond between audience and screen, it still appears to somewhat present a narrative to audiences, it has these characters who are obvious representations of stages of life, they represent a struggle and presence even though the audience is unaware of any explicit details. The original idea of an individual avoiding death has evolved into this larger film that is by all means open to eternal interpretation, presenting the power of ritual as an action.

Although the film may be difficult to interpret or simply uninteresting, the actual product is one that has been beautifully and skilfully crafted. With what could be taken as a beginning, middle and end, it links together, each character left hovering in this state of the unknown, as perhaps nobody truly knows the answers when speaking of spirituality, life and death.

– Daniel Askill’s quote sourced from : http://www.wehavedecidednottodie.com/interview.html

– Mentioned Reading “Substance of Story” sourced from : https://equella.rmit.edu.au/rmit/file/64fd6efa-6d72-470c-8124-3192a919de0d/1/140313_5_001.pdf

– Video sourced from : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIg8bHnW9vk