In the heart of a bustling city, under a heavily overcast sky, we see a focused elderly man hunched over his cane, braving the cruel tongues of wind. The scene is framed to prioritize the depth of the surrounding architecture, looming towers of glass and steel that appear cold and indifferent compared to the human perseverance on display at ground level. The color palette is dominated by varying shades of grey, a metaphorical nod to the man’s loneliness.
The camera rotates from a slightly raised angle to a low angle shot, emphasizing the towering skyscrapers and, hence, the stark contrast between man-made artistry and the pedestrian reality. As the man edges painfully forward, the background subtly blurs, keeping the focus on the protagonist’s painstaking journey.
The nondescript motion of the city is frozen for a moment as a photon particle, represented as a quick flash of light – a tauon – darts across the screen, symbolizing ephemeral moments in time, a life passing by.
The man and cane are purposefully placed to the left side of the frame with the city swallowing the remaining space, creating a visible imbalance that underlines his sense of alienation and vulnerability against the indifferent urban life. The scene still manages to convey a sense of resilience. With each hard-won step, yet another meter of steel and glass is conquered.