Whore #4 follows Dasha, a struggling Russian actress, living and working in London, as she auditions for stereotyped and repetitive roles.
Written by and starring Alexandra Tsarkova, we enter a world that I’m sure many people are far too familiar with. When wanting to get into acting, people tell you that it’s all waiting around, not getting the role and doing what you can to stand out. This short is such a fun spin on those directions, allowing us to see how soul destroying trying to get a part can be, yet even worse when the character doesn’t even have a name.
Jump cuts and changing angles help to keep the energy of the piece up, showing how exhausting and repetitive the acting life can be, especially for someone who fills a stereotype. The colours are bright, the music matching this to create a dream like experience, us all routing for the character of Dasha. These choices then emphasise the slow moments of reflection and disappointment, the juxtaposition when we’re celebrating a possible success.
This short is directed by Florence Winter Hill, and even though it is fun in its execution, it tells us how unchanging the creative industries have been for years. Instead of someone suitable for a Russian spy role like the character of Dasha, she is given a throwaway character, and normally a well-known American comes in to save the day with an awful accent. It’s a wild ride that we’re taken on with this film, but a real one, and I just hope that the right people see it and can start doing something about it.
Whore #4 was part of the Women X Film Festival – find out more