CÓLERA – SHORT FILM ANALYSIS
CÓLERA – “The film depicts how a society reacts with violence by ostracizing individuals under unhealthy conditions.” Aritz Moreno
PLOT
A large group of villagers angrily walks through an area of fields and a stream. The man at the front carries a shotgun, while those behind him hold tools such as rakes and clubs. As they continue, a little girl picks up a stone from the ground. The villagers stop in front of a shack. The man with the shotgun calls to the person inside and tells him to come out. Encouraged by him, the others throw stones at the shack. A man whose body has been deformed by cholera steps outside. Seeing him like this, the villagers panic and ready their weapons. They surround the sick man and, calling him a “Freak,” order him to leave the village. An old man swings his stick at the sick man as a final warning. The little girl hurls the stone she picked up and it strikes the sick man in the head. Dazed by the blow, he tries to flee. The villagers chase him. As he reaches the edge of the stream, the villager with the shotgun fires twice. The sick man is hit and falls into the water. Raising his gun in the air, the shooter is congratulated by the villagers. They hug each other peacefully and start back toward the village. The little girl goes up to the dead man and kicks a stone at him. Her father whistles for her and she runs to rejoin the group. Beside the body lies a sign that reads “Water supply for the municipality.”
ACTION PLAN
A group of villagers walks in anger. They come to the shack and pelt it with stones so that the person inside will come out. When he steps outside, they surround him. One villager throws a stone at his head. The man runs away from them. One of the villagers shoots him. The villagers then return to their village.
STORY
Armed villagers attempt to drive away a cholera patient who has been living in a shack near their fields for about two months, ultimately killing him.
SUBJECT
Individual and society, othering, disease, anger, hatred, violence, lynching, fear.
CHARACTERS
Armed Man: Leader of the villagers and the shooter. After killing the sick man, he becomes a hero in everyone’s eyes. Old Woman: The real leader who motivates the Armed Man and the villagers. Little Girl: A child who imitates her elders. Old Man: A cowardly villager. Sick Man: A man with cholera living alone in a shack away from people. Villagers: The community who, manipulated by the Old Woman, encouraged by the Armed Man and fearing for their own safety, lynch the sick man.
CONFLICTS
The main conflict is between all the villagers and the Sick Man. Considering the values at stake, it is society vs. the individual, lynch mob vs. common sense, healthy vs. sick.
CRISES
The film opens directly with a crisis. An angry crowd advances toward a target to vent their rage and secure their safety. The second crisis occurs when the Little Girl throws a rock at the Sick Man.
CLIMAX
The action peaks when the Sick Man is shot with the shotgun.
RESOLUTION
The scene with the signpost, which we mentioned as the final crisis, also serves as the film’s resolution. The villagers believe they have found salvation by killing someone who is “not healthy” like them. Yet the method they use may doom them in the end. Thus a film that begins with a crisis ends with one as well.
THEMES
The most striking theme is that wrongdoings never go unpunished. In addition, we can talk about themes such as how insular communities ostracize what is different, how fear makes people dangerous, how self‑centered isolated communities are hopeless cases, and how violence is contagious.
DISCOURSE AND POINT OF VIEW
To reveal the deeper meaning of Cólera, we can begin by describing the disease that gives the film its name. Cholera is an intestinal infection caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae and is marked by acute, severe diarrhea. It can spread rapidly among communities affected by war, poverty or natural disasters. Cholera is seen more frequently where water and personal hygiene are inadequate. In communities with poor water hygiene, among migrants or nomadic groups living in camps, and after heavy rain, floods or earthquakes when sewage mixes with drinking water, the risk is high. Improving living conditions and educating the public are essential for prevention (Cholera, 2017).
In short, cholera is a disease that arises under poor conditions, spreads easily and is transmitted through water. In the film, the place of this disease parallels its traits and the destruction it causes. We see a community living in unhealthy conditions—first through the swamp-like setting and the emphasis on flies in the credits. Then we directly witness a man suffering from this illness. The villagers kill him, he falls into the water and most likely spreads the disease to all of them.
If we take the word cholera only in its literal biological sense, the film’s message would be merely “you reap what you sow.” Yet with its allegorical structure and signs, the film points to political, psychological and social illnesses as well. Thus the director’s use of the disease signifies much more than simple retribution.
Each character represents an allegorical part of society. This can be shown in a table:
SICK MAN – The Other, Minority OLD WOMAN – Authority, Leader ARMED MAN – Army, Police VILLAGERS – The People, Society OLD MAN – The Old Generation LITTLE GIRL – The New Generation
Sick Man
This character represents minorities who differ from the majority in any society. Because each community sees itself as a healthy body whose parts must serve its functioning, minorities are viewed as elements that disrupt that body by not doing their part. This is why the villagers feel hatred and fear toward the Sick Man. Another reason is his appearance: his entire body is deformed. The villagers focus less on his illness than on this deformity and call him a “Freak.” Allegorically, this foregrounds the theme of racism.
Old Woman
This character represents society’s leaders in the allegory. She is the person most disturbed by minorities (the Sick Man) and is the one who pushes the community (the Villagers) and the armed forces (the Armed Man) into action against them.
Armed Man
Motivated by the Old Woman (Authority), he is the figure who purges society of dangerous minorities. Representing institutions such as the army, he does not hesitate to fight enemies. When he kills, he is hailed a hero; if he dies, he is honored as a martyr. Here, too, the villagers proclaim him a hero.
Villagers
These characters stand for inward‑looking people who are easily manipulated by fear. By grabbing scythes and clubs to kill the Sick Man, they embody a critique of lynch culture.
Old Man
He represents the older generation bound to tradition. When necessary, this generation defends the community so fervently that they will join the Armed Man despite their age.
Little Girl
This character represents the new generation. In her behavior toward the Sick Man we see her copying the other villagers, so the youth who should bring hope are portrayed pessimistically. The Armed Man stroking her head after she throws a stone is an example. (Another allegorical device in the film involves flies; we will mention this in the sound and editing sections.)
CÓLERA – DIRECTING DESIGN
Acting
The film’s driving performance comes from the Armed Man. From his dialogue with the Old Woman we understand that she persuaded him, and his acting shows how difficult that persuasion was. For example, while walking with the villagers he keeps checking behind him and, despite holding a gun, looks uneasy. From this convincing performance we can infer what happened before the film: the villagers knew about the Sick Man but were afraid to act. The Old Woman went to the Armed Man and tried to convince him. At first he was scared, but her persistence won him over. He did not want to go alone, so he demanded that all the villagers come with him. They gathered and, led by the Armed Man, walked toward the Sick Man. His strong performance communicates all of this.
Setting
The settings are designed in service of the story: a field, a riverbed and a wooden shack. Choosing a field helps express who the villagers are, while the presence of water and flies creates a swamp-like atmosphere. The shack, resembling a shanty, shows the Sick Man’s difficult circumstances. Made of wood, sheet metal and plastic, and standing alone in a barren area, it reflects his isolation.
Sound and Music
The sound and music fall into three categories: unsettling high-pitched noises, the buzzing of flies and music played with a cello.
Unsettling high-pitched noises:
These appear in the opening and ending. The director clearly tells the audience: “This film will disturb you.”
Buzzing of flies:
These unusual sounds are heard at the beginning, middle and end. While they create a sickly atmosphere, they also support the idea of a “swarm of flies” attacking, which we’ll discuss in the editing section.
Music played with a cello:
Choosing a cello is meaningful because its tone resembles buzzing flies. The music begins during the march at the start and greatly supports the narrative.
Editing
The most notable point in the editing is that the film was shot without cuts. This places the audience in the middle of the action and increases realism. Because it is a single shot, sound and music take prominence. Considering the sound and music editing, one might propose this idea: In the mise-en-scène set for the single shot, the villagers move like a swarm of flies closing in on the Sick Man. Factors such as surrounding him when he comes out and the cello music stopping once he is killed demonstrate this.
CÓLERA – ASSESSMENT
The analyses above show that Cólera is constructed on a sound narrative. The actions and words that unfold are positioned correctly within the story and reveal the implied world of meaning. Each character occupies the right place in the chain of events, the dramatic material is used in the proper measure, and technical elements such as sound and image support the narrative. Finally, we can add that Aritz Moreno starts from an illness to push the limits of creativity and heightens his critique of humanity and society to the maximum.
References
- IMDB. (2021, 01 23). Cólera (2013). IMDB.
- Moreno, A. (Director). (2013). Cólera [Short Film].
- Republic of Turkey Ministry of Health. (2017, 1 1). Cholera. Ministry of Health – General Directorate of Public Health.