Into The Quiet Place: Homegrown Short Film 'Pulse Vega' Finds Serenity In Chaos

Getting caught up in the rat race, we often lose sight of the quiet moments that lie in the spaces between chaos. 'Pulse Vega', a short film by Priya Mishra, invites us into one such moment, pulling us into a tension-filled narrative where the world outside races, yet within, everything slows down to an almost surreal calm. It nods to Martin Heidegger’s notion of wandering through life’s pathless woods, where the journey is as important as the destination.

The film opens with a man on the run, breathless and injured. He eludes the cops and finds refuge, where he tends to his wounds. There are no dialogues, only the score that mirrors his ragged breath, his heartbeat, and the fraught atmosphere. This silence, woven with the ethereal cinematography, creates a haunting yet soothing experience. Mishra’s visual-first approach transforms the man’s act of cleansing into a ritual of introspection, emphasizing the strange calm that exists amidst danger.

Endo Mrinal, a 23-year-old artist from Kurseong, Darjeeling, brings this raw, untamed character to life. His portrayal is honest and unfiltered, a reflection of his own journey as a runaway dabbling in acting, fashion, and painting in Mumbai. Mrinal’s performance exudes a vulnerability — his face, marked by exhaustion and resolve, embodies the tension between survival and surrender. 

The cinematography is dream-like, almost as if the camera itself is wandering alongside the man. Colors blend and warp, creating a sense of unreality, drawing us deeper into his internal world. Mishra, a director-cinematographer-editor originally from Jalna, Maharashtra, channels the sights, sounds, and stories of her hometown into this narrative, crafting a piece that feels both intimate and universal.

Mishra's direction blurs the lines between film and visual art, allowing us to get lost in the film’s fluidity. The tension lingers throughout — what lies ahead is unknown, only a pulse away. It’s in this ambiguity that Pulse Vega finds its strength. Through the eyes of Endo Mrinal, we experience a moment of revelation, a surreal calm that lingers long after the screen fades to black.

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