'Signs'

I watched a short film on Youtube about communications called, "Signs'. This short film was produced by Peter Hughes and was featured at the Schweppes Short Film Fest. The central theme of this film was about the deconstruction of communication between people. At first, we were introduced to the male lead,who appears to be lonely and depressed although he has family members and colleagues around him. He appears to be looking for a companian, a solace, a place to belong. Upon a chance encounter, he spotted a girl who worked in the opposite building. Hence, a friendship blossomed between them as they communicated with each other using--- Pen and Paper! I won't get into further details in case you might want to check out the video yourself. As mentioned earlier on, this film deconstructs the 'conventional' way of communication whilst shedding light on another way of communication--through written words.

I wouldnt say this film was genius, as the plot was probably stereotypical and predictable. However, it does provide some interesting insights and food for thought. Sausser argued that the relationship between the spoken word (signifier) and object (signified) is arbitrary and meaning comes through signs. Sausser suggests that these signs are the union of signified and signifier. From Sausser's theory, Derrida develops the perspective of Deconstruction, an idea that argues that the meaning of texts is indeterminate due to the lack of 'truth' or a center. Hence, we allowed to constantly deconstruct text and work our way around it. Applying the theory in this context, the method of communication is hence deconstructed. We do not have to depend on spoken but on written words to convey our messages to the receiver.

I personally like this idea because i think the most effective way of communicating is through body language. I believe a touch can say a thousand words in the fastest, most effective manner. Just recently, i realised that sometimes we form a secret code through our touch and gestures, but other times it is a universal language.

I tried to think of expanding the plot of the story. The ending left me knawing at what could entail in this unordinary couple's life. I asked myself, why did she insist to communicate using placecards even after they met in person? What was the motivation behind it? Was it because she was deaf? Or perhaps she had a painful past she wanted to hide? Would they continue to communicate this way for a long time? What about sex? Won't their communication method falter during sex? Can they device a new way to have sex too? Perhaps raise a placecard that says,' Touch me here'? LOL.
That would be interesting.