Blush: an extraordinary voyage

15 MINUTES

Fatu treks into the glamorous unknown during his first outing in makeup

To 18-year-old Fatu, who splits his time living between Kosovo and Finland, wearing makeup in public for the first time is a like trek into outer space – exhilarating, terrifying, uncertain and, soon enough, something there’ll be no turning back from. However, having his best friend Rai by his side, who assures him that if anyone gives him side-eye she’ll ‘literally hammer their head in’, does promise to make the trip a bit smoother.

The Finnish director Iiti Yli-Harja’s short film Blush: An Extraordinary Voyage builds an endearing and idiosyncratic world around this metaphor for Fatu’s maiden glammed-up journey to a supermarket. Using audio of the charming duo recorded before, during and after Fatu and Rai’s adventure, Yli-Harja renders them as emotive, sparkly claymation characters embarking on a flight to the Moon. It’s this lush, unforgettable visual treatment, along with the natural rapport between the two besties, that makes the short stand out from the coming-of-age film crowd. Yli-Harja does some skilful manoeuvring of her own, steering between fiction and documentary, lighthearted moments and heavy themes, without ever losing her handle on the material.

Director: Iiti Yli-Harja

Producers: Valtteri Munkki, Mikko Heino

Explore more

Illustration of a simple cartoon figure with a bob haircut wearing a green crop top and red skirt on a light background.

Growing pains, bras, size, sex – a group of women get candid about all things boobs

A film by Subarna Dash and Vidushi Gupta

Photo of a man holding a microphone and equipment standing on a walkway with blurred people passing by in the foreground.

Lonely in London, a filmmaker sets out to make a new friend

A film by Hugh Clegg

A naked young woman walking on a rippled sandy beach towards the sea, clear blue water and distant islands in view.
Psyche Exclusive

For Lucy, surviving on a remote island was hard, but returning was harder

Directed by Jesper Wachtmeister

Black and white photo of a hand holding a scallop shell. The background is blurred and the shell shows detailed texture.

A poetic, sea-soaked tribute to the ‘cockle women’ of Wales

Directed by Lily Tiger

A photo of an artist in a cap and paint-splattered trousers sitting next to a large painting of a man holding his face in his hands.

A rural Namibian artist reflects on authenticity in work and in life

Directed by Niklas von Klitzing and Leo Stolz

A still from the film Miss Congeniality showing the actress Sandra Bullock in a tight-fitting lilac dress walking towards the camera, surrounded by people in pink uniforms.
FILM

From drab to fab – a playful dissection of the Hollywood makeover

Directed by Sue Ding

Puppets with monkey faces in office attire, performing a synchronised dance in a cubicle-filled office setting, with computers and office supplies visible.

Humanoid animals sing through their existential angst in this madcap short

Directed by Niki Lindroth Von Bahr

A man and woman sit by a calm lake during dusk, with mountains in the background and a dog resting near the woman.
HOME

Life on Bruny Island, population 750, is suffused with trade-offs and joys

Directed by Guido Pezz