From Omeleto.
A rapper gives an interview.
A FRAUDULENT EXISTENCE is used with permission from Anant Mehra. Learn more at https://anantmehra.com.
Vaughan is a musician and a hip-hop artist who performs under the name Apollo. He’s about to launch his new album to much anticipation and has lined up an interview with a prestigious magazine at his listening party, though some of his associates are skeptical of why he needs the press when Apollo has such a fervent fan base.
Before the interview, Apollo has an amiable rapport with the magazine editor Clementine Laurent. But when the cameras roll and the interview begins, Clementine turns on Apollo, who realizes he’s fallen into a verbal and intellectual trap that may publicly humiliate him.
Directed and written by Anant Mehra, this short drama is as stylized and elegant in its look and feel as the aspirations of Apollo and the demeanor of the journalist who reveals himself as his eventual nemesis. It sets up the atmosphere of a sleek music industry event, created through beautiful lighting, stately camerawork and stylish cinematography. With its measured pacing and rich dialogue, the storytelling builds up the expectations, hopes and aspirations of its characters, particularly for Apollo, who seeks to be seen as a true artist and regards his cover interview with Le Cercle des Arts as a step to that creative legitimacy.
But underneath the civilized and chic veneer lies something else entirely, which is slowly unveiled during the actual interview. As Clementine and Apollo’s "official" interaction unfurls, the polished language of the dialogue cannot disguise the ugly, disdainful assumptions underlying Clementine’s attitude towards the artist he’s interviewing and the type of music he makes, and actor Peter Larney deftly conveys the prejudices underneath Clementine’s brittle and intellectual facade, his dialogue leveling up the highfalutin factor as he becomes more openly venal.
As Clementine’s questioning becomes more hostile — to the point of calling Apollo’s background "unrefined" — actor Jaylien Wesley exhibits disbelief but also denial, as he refuses to look at what’s happening. When the subtext comes to the surface and crests into an outright confrontation, Apollo still can’t quite acknowledge the fundamental inequality of the situation. He’s still too busy chasing legitimacy and approval, despite the objections of some of his team, and is still willing to sacrifice his authenticity for it all. A FRAUDULENT EXISTENCE has the polish and polite bite of a comedy of manners, but in the end, it’s also a clever depiction of how these manners or conventions often cover up or polish the bigotry and prejudices that people hold. They’re able to dress it all in polite language and seemingly elevated thought, but underneath, it’s still ugly and unjust.
