2023 SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW!
Elsa tells the story of Elsa Sjunneson, a deafblind individual who is defying the odds and doing incredible things. She’s a phenomenal fencer, she’s worked with Marvel Comics, and she simply lives a life that most would envy. In this short documentary, viewers get up close and personal, dropped right into the life of Elsa, and they are able to appreciate her struggles and successes as if they were there for the entire journey.
Elsa is one of the simplest films that I’ve ever seen–it’s straightforward, honest, and unwilling to conform to what the cinema world often expects. Let’s start with it being honest and straightforward. There’s no beating around the bush; Writer/Director Cameron S. Mitchell doesn’t use any crazy tactics to tell the story of Elsa, he just provides us with facts. The proof is in the pudding as they say, and sticking to the facts, not looking too much into the opinions of those surrounding this story, allows viewers to form their own opinions. I appreciate the fact that the film is objective, that it reaches out to viewers and allows them to dive in, not feel like they’re being tricked into anything, and genuinely appreciate the content presented by the filmmakers.
I’m not sure that Elsa is groundbreaking, and I’m not sure that it’s trying to be. It’s films like this that often try to alter the state of cinema, to be so impressively diverse–but Elsa does such a wonderful job of just being itself. It doesn’t look to be too far reaching, and it wants simply to educate. By not trying too hard, by not conforming to the usual, Elsa is actually more entertaining than I believe it would have been if it were some large, adventurous film. By staying true to itself Mitchell and the entire film reach viewers that they likely wouldn’t have if they had been too aggressive.
Elsa is an interesting subject. She, beyond the obvious, is unique, far different than the mainstream. Her personality is what makes her different, what allows her to stand out. The world seems to be shifting in the direction of making excuses and pointing the finger when things get difficult–but much like Elsa, Elsa refuses to conform to societal norms. She doesn’t look to others for blame, but rather she often looks to them for inspiration–and even better, she looks introspectively, seemingly always trying to better herself. I not only appreciate that about her, I adore it. She’s the perfect subject for a documentary–and she, time and time again throughout the short film, proves her worth to viewers.
Elsa is a difficult film to analyze and review–as it’s unwaveringly straightforward. Mitchell and his team use honesty to tell this story–and everything that transpires throughout the course of the film is exactly as it seems. I never felt baited into anything (as I sometimes do when watching documentaries), I never felt that I was being pressured to think one way, and I constantly found new reasons to appreciate Elsa. I appreciate the simplicity of Elsa, and just about everything works for the immersive story of diversity, inclusion, and passion.
Directed by Cameron S. Mitchell.
Written by Cameron S. Mitchell & Julia Muniz.
Starring Elsa Sjunneson.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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