Daniel has a job interview via Zoom, but at one point, he finds himself face to face with a projection of his mind that puts him in difficulty and makes fun of him.
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Review by Julie C. Sheppard:
The short, The Interview, accurately plays into a nervousness many people experience before an important job interview. It clearly illuminates the negative self-talk that runs through the mind of the central figure, Daniel, personified by his alter-ego in the background in relaxed dress – – his harshest critic. Mental sabotage becomes a tangible thing, causing Daniel to question himself and to remember his interview mistakes of the past, and to worry about how the upcoming appointment will go.
A clever filmic convention is the ongoing use of a pesky laugh track, as if his annoying inner self is ridiculing his choices and how he will come off in front of the online interviewer, including if he has something in his teeth. The fact that we see just a central panel of video gives us the impression of the job seeker’s intense focus on the screen. Technically, it is also quite helpful to see the translated texts at the top of the scene, for ease of comprehension.
The set decoration that the interviewer will see in the background such as a stuffed toy, and Daniel’s wardrobe of a widely opened dress shirt and gold chains, both indicate that he is not the most professional of interviewees. But he is also relatable – – the fact that he has not considered wearing proper pants that may be viewed online is a problem for many in these days of Zoom meetings. He is indeed a sympathetic character, and viewers will likely still wish him the best in the job interview, a tense universal event that most of us have endured at one point or another.
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