Saliva by Esmir Filho

Obsessed with all things aqueous, the short film Saliva, written and directed by the Brazilian Esmir Filho, shows the build up to the first kiss of a young girl. The nerves, the peer pressure, the rehearsals, the awkwardness. Taken in hand by a more experienced friend we watch as she is trained up, practicing on the mirror and even with her friend. Then comes the kiss itself during which, rather unfortunately, the young protégé is subjected to a waterfall of saliva. At this point in the film the boundary between reality and conception becomes blurred, as sensation takes over and we see our protagonist plunge into a pool of water and become drenched from the effect of the kiss. The essentially childish act is half eroticised through the fixation of the camera on the luscious mouth of its young subject ; and half rendered amusing at her timidity and need to rehearse for the big moment.

In spite of the trivial subject matter this is no teen movie, beautifully shot with the reoccurring themes of the colour blue and water. However, the overwhelming sensuality of the kiss tells far more of the projection of an adult sexuality onto a childhood event than it does of the reality of a first kiss ; thus the evocative images seem out of kilter with the brevity and awkwardness of the kiss itself.

Camilla Buchanan