Poster for Le Miroir (The Mirror), directed by Leila Murton Poole, AFIN 2020

Student Short Film

Le Miroir (The Mirror)

Directed by Leila Murton Poole

AFIN 2020 Nominee

  • 2020
  • 17m
  • Australia
  • English, French
  • Fairytale
  • Fantasy
  • Dark Comedy
Australian Student Film

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Stills

7 frames

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Credits

Music & Sound

Synopsis

Mathilde, a mute French orphan, helps to protect Madame B, the most superstitious lady in the world, from all bad luck. Both have developed their own coping mechanisms to deal with extreme loss. When Mathilde breaks Madame B’s most prized possession, a magical mirror, she goes on a journey to fix it. Along the way, she meets 12 year old Tobias who is wise beyond his years and changes her life forever.

Director's Statement

Leila Murton Poole, filmmaker portrait provided to AFIN.

Ideas come in many different forms. "Le Miroir" was born from an image of a woman carrying a broken mirror down a street during the Spanish Civil War. In fact, it features in a certain film which goes by the same name by Tarkovsky. As a director, there are a few things which I look for in a story - strong female leads, visual power, a compelling plot and something a little different. Drawing on inspiration from Wes Anderson and Jeanne-Pierre Jeunet (notably Amelie), "Le Miroir" is visually rich but the characters also have the depth to carry the images in a way where the visual complexity adds rather than distracts. Achieving the tone was another challenge of the film; light-hearted at face value but with real grief and loss at its core. It was a pleasure to be able to both write and direct these complex female characters - to watch them be brought so beautifully to life by the extremely talented cast. Re-creating this distinctly European film in Australia was a delightful challenge. In many ways, the film is both timeless and placeless and I hope that this is one of the many reasons that it can resonate with audiences worldwide.

What makes this one special

  • A student film

Also selected at

1 official selection across 1 other festival

  1. SelectionFlickerfest 2021 (BAFTA Recognised/Academy Qualifying)Official Selection · Sydney, Australia · 2021

Recorded by the filmmaker on their entry.

Director's Biography

Leila Murton Poole, filmmaker portrait provided to AFIN. Leila Murton Poole Director

Leila is a British director, currently based in Sydney having completed her diploma in Screen and Media at Sydney Film School. With a degree in Physics and Economics and a Masters in Management, she worked in Finance before quitting to travel. She made her way from London to Sydney without flying and, inspired by what she experienced, wanted to learn how to tell stories in a universal way. Whilst she has been involved in a number of short films, 'Le Miroir' is the first that she has both written and directed.

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AFIN 2027

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