The look

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The film

fragile shows through a simulated 3D visualization of a stage performance the fragileness of people who stand outside the socially constructed and enforced gender norms and who have no voice in these concepts of society. fragile explores the balance between one’s identity and the – consciously or unconsciously – forced assimilation to their environment.

The structure of fragile is based on Paul Auster’s City of Glass.

fragile transfers the split personality of City of Glass’ leading character into the silhouette and the shadow on the adult’s side, who act both independent from the adult. There is the voiceless child in his dungeon. And with the projection of van Valckenborch’s Toren van Babel the novel’s issue is adopted as well as this tower stands for the restrictive society; multilingualism contrasts with voicelessness.

There is no dialogue, but in the background a multiethnic crowd recalls in 33 languages the intersexual god through Genesis 1/27: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

The film’s final statement:
One in 2000 newborns cannot be classified as clearly male or female.
By law, however, a person’s sex may only be either male or female.
Silencing the diversity of nature leaves individuals voiceless and unheard.
There are countless identities beyond social norms.