Maria

Returning from her shift in a heavy London downpour, 30-year-old Tesco cashier Maria slips into her ordinary domestic routine. Her mind aggressively deletes a leaking reality to protect her from a trauma she cannot face: her dried breakfast dishes remain wet, and her bare feet step unbothered into a rising pool of cold water on the kitchen linoleum.

The visual engine of MARIA relies on a narrative sleight of hand. Opening during a torrential downpour gives the audience a logical alibi for the damp environment, disguising a surreal psychological thriller inside the familiar frame of British social realism. The camera begins with static, locked-down compositions that trap Maria within the crushing geometry of her mundane routine. As the runtime progresses, the camera destabilizes and the environment decays — flat daylight gradually choked out by a suffocating river-teal tint. Sound design acts as the physical bridge: the attic thuds mixed to mimic the sickening, rhythmic weight of chest compressions.

Director

Felix Fischer

Runtime

8 min

Language

English

Genre

Psychological Thriller