VERDICT: A teenage girl’s sense of isolation is writ large across the screen in this frosty Macedonian coming-of-age short that is warmed by a compelling lead performance.
It would be fair to say that Margo (Antonija Belazelkoska) is somewhat awkward. From the opening scene of North Pole, comprising of some stilted, en plein air adolescent fumbling, there is the unwavering sense that even within her own skin she feels like something of an outsider. Marija Apcevska’s delicate coming-of-age drama makes the most of Belazelkoska’s winning performance to explore the pressures of expectation and the importance of being true to yourself. Having picked up awards at various festivals over the past year, the film took home the Kodak Best Short on Film Award from this year’s HollyShorts for its expressive Super 16mm photography.
The imagery, captured by Vladimir Samoilovski, is shot through with a seasonal chill that pervades much of the film. A cold Macedonian winter provides the setting for this brief chapter in Margo’s life and the inclement weather is undeniably a factor in the frostiness of the romantic encounters that bookend the film. The blueish tinge to the visuals seems to be caused both by genuine environmental factors and, to some extent, Margo’s internal sense of self. It is not just with boys that Margo is uncomfortable. In a scene in the girl’s locker room at school, another girl asks her to be involved in making a video, but it transpires that her role is just to hold the camera while the others perform. When the conversation turns to boys, Margo’s apparent inexperience becomes the central topic of conversation; “bet you guys won’t do it again.”
So far, so familiar. However, it’s in the film’s final scene – which is best seen unspoiled – that Apcevska’s film really comes into its own and the otherwise ubiquitous chill is brilliantly, and poignantly thawed. There is a moment in which a real smile cracks Belazelkoska’s otherwise self-serious and self-conscious façade, and the result is heart-warming. The conclusion’s implications, about how happy we can be when we’re honest with ourselves and about how far we are willing to go to fit in, land with impressive pathos. The Super 16mm footage giving the whole endeavour a vaguely retro aesthetic only serves to underline the poignancy in the film’s final frame of Margo.
Director, screenplay: Marija Apcevska
Cast: Antonija Belazelkoska, Luka Mitev, Frosina Trajkovska, Andrea Noveva,
Producer: Robert Naskov
Cinematography: Vladimir Samoilovski
Editing: Dragan Von Petrovic
Sound: Igor Popovski, Bojan Palikuca
Production design: Kiril Spaseski
Production companies: Kino Oko (Macedonia), Servia Film (Russia), Forgrade (Serbia), Tivoli Production (Belgium)
Venue: HollyShorts Film Festival
In Macedonian
15 minutes
