Rhulani Anthony Bila has just released a personal project created during his 60 days of solitude during the Covid-19 pandemic. Aptly titled The Isolationist, the short film sees the the South African photographic artist and director push himself to the limits both creatively and emotionally in order to dive into the possibilities and fears of relying on your own company.

“A man is set apart from the world, writhing in the pangs of isolation. Grappling with the obscurity of being alone and being lonely, this film is an exploration of how, without anyone to tether us to reality, as social creatures reality and fantasy - perhaps even nightmare - blur for our subject. The narrative wades between the horror and harmony of solitude,” Bila explains.

“I have had the idea for this film for about three years now, I just never had the time to delve into the concepts and ideas around mental health until the world stood still three months ago. This presented me with a rare opportunity to bring it to life,” he adds. “Living alone I was met with the seemingly insurmountable hurdle of producing the film alone, and as such the making of the film reflected the film itself in a truly ‘art imitating life’ manner I could not have conceived originally.”

Direction, words, cinematography, artwork, editing, colour, titles, set design and sound Rhulani Anthony Bila
Visual effects Thomas Vanz
Music Caroline Shaw, Jessica Meyer, James Blake

Visit The Isolationist

Published on 02/07/2020