''Absurda'' (also titled ''Scissors'') is a

surrealist Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...

short film directed by

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025) was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Lynch was often called a "visionary" and received acclaim f ...

and shown at the

2007 Cannes Film Festival The 60th Cannes Film Festival was held from 16 to 27 May 2007. British filmmaker Stephen Frears served as jury president for the main competition. Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu won the Palme d'Or for the drama film ''4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 ...

as an opening short to

Wong Kar-wai Wong Kar-wai (born 17 July 1958) is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films are characterised by nonlinear narratives, atmospheric music, and vivid cinematography involving bold, saturated colours. A pivotal figure o ...

’s film '' My Blueberry Nights''. The film is approximately two and a half minutes long. It employs dream-like imagery, with stationary visuals which show a theater and the screen on which nightmarish images are projected. The film is part of the '' To Each His Own Cinema'' anthology.

Synopsis

Four people (never seen, but heard) enter a theater, expecting to see a film about dancing, but only see a large pair of scissors sticking out of the screen. They are then shown images of a woman in a pink dress and ballet shoes, who the group identifies as one of them, Cindy, and a man with a bloody face, who the group identifies as another of them, Tom. The projectionist explains that the scissors are "what was used" and that Tom is "the one who did it". Tom denies that he is the one on screen. The scissors reappear in a stabbing motion as Cindy becomes distressed by the way Tom is looking at her. A commotion and Cindy's screams then accompany the theater being engulfed in smoke as the others shout at Tom to "stop". Cindy then reappears on the screen, dancing ballet, as her voice is heard when she says: "So, I went dancing. I've always loved to dance."

Analysis

Kristina Šekrst examines ''Absurda'' in the context of

personal identity Personal identity is the unique numerical identity of a person over time. Discussions regarding personal identity typically aim to determine the necessary and sufficient conditions under which a person at one time and a person at another time ...

and

performativity Performativity is the concept that language can function as a form of social action and have the effect of change. The concept has multiple applications in diverse fields such as anthropology, social and cultural geography, economics, gender stu ...

. She highlights the projectionist as a key figure whose words reshape the film’s characters, reflecting the broader theme of identity as influenced by external force, drawing parallels between ''Absurda'' and Lynch’s other works, such as ''Inland Empire'', emphasizing recurring motifs like duality and transformation. Šekrst situates the short film within Lynch’s exploration of identity as dynamic and affected by external narratives. Sam Harris interprets the projectionist as a

metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide, or obscure, clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are usually meant to cr ...

for the

filmmaker Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

, with the theater setting reinforcing the connection between cinematic

storytelling Storytelling is the social and cultural activity of sharing narrative, stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatre, theatrics or embellishment. Every culture has its own narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cul ...

and audience engagement. He notes the symbolic role of objects like the scissors and their integration into

imagery, underscoring Lynch’s focus on the interplay between illusion and reality.

References

External links

*
David Lynch's website
2007 films 2000s American films 2000s avant-garde and experimental films 2000s English-language films American avant-garde and experimental short films Short films directed by David Lynch {{experimental-film-stub