Stuff (2019)

Directed by: Malu Janssen | 13 minutes | short film, drama | Actors: Georgina Verbaan, Jasmine Sendar, Mahfoud Mokaddem, Koen Wouterse, Tomer Pawlicki

Possess. It is a concept that has been scrutinized more than once in recent years. It almost seems that – at least in Western society, where people have a choice about this – it can go two ways: either you opt for minimalism and embrace the Marie Kondo principle, or you buy your lens entirely. stuff and surrounds you with the most diverse things, which you can easily do without, but which do give you a good feeling. Of course there is a middle ground, but such a gray area is just plain and boring and that’s why you don’t often see it in movies with this theme.

‘Stuff’ is a short drama with a macabre edge about a successful buyer at a department store. She is responsible for the range of home furnishings. Her good taste and view of future interior trends are reflected in her private life. Her apartment is filled with designer accessories. Priceless for some, but for Helen (Georgina Verbaan) this collection is an anchor to – unconsciously – cling to.

She only realizes that certainty when her house is broken into. Many of her belongings were destroyed or taken. At first, she bravely tries to make it through the next few days, but when friends come to help her redecorate her home, her ability to continue as before is shattered. Something fundamental has changed in her, which is reflected in a horrific finale.

‘Stuff’ is an interesting short film that makes you think about the extent to which we are shaped by our possessions, both materially and psychologically. Not everyone possess the possibility to continue living after a major event as if nothing had happened. Malu Janssen (who both wrote the screenplay and directs this SHORT! film) does not pass judgment, but lets us be carried away into Helen’s psyche.