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DESTIN
Produced by Edie Mayer
Directed by John Santerineros
Written and Edited by Heather Eve and John Santerineross
Director of Photography - Eun-ah-LeeGirl - Evelynn Harmer
Child - Savannah MarkertVisitors to John Santerineross' website will learn that he's first and foremost a photographer; one with a strong visual style that employs images which can only be described as "gothic" in nature. It's these photographic sensibilities that are Santerineross' strongest assets as a filmmaker as his compositions can be truly beautiful.
DESTIN is only Santerineross' second short film and he explores many similar themes found in his previous short, CHILD, DOLL, OR BONE: pain, anguish, self-mutilation, and filters them through a child's viewpoint. The effect renders the actions, and images, all the more chilling.
A small child wanders curiously through woods picking up leaves and rocks. Her journey takes her to an dilapidated house with what appears to be a tree growing up through the basement. We learn that this home will play a significant part in her adult life. These scenes of wonderment and discovery are intercut with a young girl, possibly in her teens or early twenties, as she goes through what appears to be some sort of wiccan ritual that employs those very same leaves and rocks. Is she truly a child of nature, or she remembering the precise moments that let her to this point in her life?
Santerineross' synopsis of the film, found both on the dvd and the website, points out that the two ladies are one and the same. Not having read the synopsis until afterwards, DESTIN is actually open to interpretation. Of course, the thought is present that the women are the same, but the final shots offer another, more literal take on the events. That this child, all wide-eyed as she takes in the tranquillity of the fall forest, stumbles upon the darkest of events - forever ruining her innocent view of the world.
There are two schools of thought pertaining to art. One says that the piece should speak for itself. The other says that the piece is an extension of the artist's views. Either view is equally valid, but I'd like to think my initial spin on DESTIN was even more devastating then the artist's, but who am I to argue with the artist.
Santerinross' world view is a bleak one, about as bleak as it gets, but his ability to find beauty in dark moments is a rare quality that only the most skilled cinema craftsman can achieve. Judging from other content posted on his site, Santerineross' film work is a natural extension of his photography; the obvious difference being that in film the images move and last only for a finite period of time. If anything, his still work goes even darker then his cinema.
In the past, some great photographers were able to cross over from stills to moving images with ease. The likes of Anton Corbin and Herb Ritts come directly to mind. It could be interesting to see how Santerineross handles moving into other territories such as music videos or features. His macabre visuals could let themselves nicely if paired with the proper material.
You can view, and are encouraged to do so, both of Santerineross' short films on his website.