top of page
Writer's pictureAlex Leptos

WATCH & REVIEW: 'Renegade' (2020), a short experimental film by Gabby Lee

Updated: Jun 1, 2021


Renegade is an experimental short film that explores the exchange of matter in the universe. Everything on earth, alive or not alive, is comprised of atoms that originated in the impossibly hot centers of stars. As Carl Sagan famously said,

"The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself.”

In this instance, the universe is experiencing itself as a Latin American immigrant.

Outside the Spotlight says: Gabby Lee's Renegade is an extremely interesting look at the universe and our existence within it. The use of a Latin American immigrant as an embodiment makes it somewhat relatable even to those whom do not think about physics and the subject matter in a particularly deep way.


Renegade creates a parallel between atoms and how the universe and everything in it is made up of atoms that are the same atoms that we all share, have all shared and will continue to share for centuries to come, and the immigrant experience. Commenting on how we are all human and are all comprised of the same atoms and yet whilst we are all connected, we are also disconnected and whilst we are everything, we are also nothing.

The substance of Renegade is deep and though-provoking and the package that it presents itself in is wonderfully crafted and utterly entrancing as its mixture of monochrome, black and white imagery paired with splashes of vibrancy and colour presenting thoughtful contrast. Said splashes of colour are all from a singular source, being a painting by Edgar Moza in acrylic and other mixed media. The film also uses imagery akin to various Pagan rituals to evoke a sense of ease and later discomfort. Renegade is certainly a powerful piece and one that has a lot to say, and does so successfully if one is willing to listen.


- About the director -

Gabby Lee lives in New York City and has been directing since 2013. She previously lived in England, where she studied journalism and documentary practice at the University of Sussex. Her feature documentary, 'Anna Ozawa Illu


minator' was awarded official selection at NewFilmmakers New York AltFest in 2018, and her premiere documentary, 'Keep Calm Drag On,' was licensed for international distribution via Out TV Europe in 2015. Gabby is inspired by Alejandro Jodorowsky, Wong Kar Wai, Oscar Wilde, DH Lawrence, John Keats, J,G. Ballard, and Victorian literature.



Watch Renegade below

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Official Selection:

Ojo de Agua International Film Festival

- Guanajuato, Mexico, 2020

______________________________


Crew:

Directed, edited and produced by Gabby Lee (Instagram @limedoll)

Written by Edgar Moza and Gabby Lee


Cast:


Featured Music:

Strata by Moby

Shot In the Back of the Head by Moby

A Sigh to Behold by Devendra Banhart

Basta De Lo Oscuro by Adanowsky



<For more on Gabby Lee>


[Custom poster designed and artworked by Outside the Spotlight]

278 views0 comments

Comments


bottom of page