Reflective Encounters

“There are a number of approaches you could take in interpreting the action of Co-Ognition, a surreal Polish short by director Przemysław Świda. Its fractured title evokes themes of cognitive duality, while its propensity toward hallucinogenic morphing sequences and repetition suggests a dream state. The film’s primary character, the picture of businessman-like banality, wanders through a world of doppelgangers that emerge with acrobatic flair from his otherwise empty briefcase. His surroundings and physicality alternates between starkly designed, almost architectural precision and loose clusters of abstract shapes that suggest disassociation.

We may be looking on at a man suffering some form of devastating emotional crisis, or simply seeing a playful visualisation of his internal social-cognitive process, possibly even his own self-concept manifested through the comparative freedoms his imagined altar-egos seem to enjoy as he trudges through life. As the film progresses, an array of more on-the-nose visuals present themselves, individual body parts and items of clothing compartmentalised in glass boxes, struggling to break free and ultimately succeeding. What impresses is Świda’s ability to convey these concepts with minimal detail, making impactful use of light and shadow and a line art style, aided by the fluidity of the animation and a precision-timed percussive soundtrack.”

— Ben Mitchell