“The order of things” is a short Spanish drama film that was directed by César Esteban Alenda and José Esteban Alenda. It was released in 2010 and portrays gender violence through shocking scenes which lead us to reflect on this issue. It starts Manuela Vellés as Julia, the victim of gender violence; Biel Durán, Javier Gutiérrez and Mariano Venancio as Marcos, the victim’s husband and the aggressor; and Junio Valverde as Marquitos, their son. This short film was nominated for the Goya awards for the best fiction short film in 2010.

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The film tells the story of Julia, a young woman who suffers gender violence. During the short film she remains in the bathtub, which is like a prison from which she cannot get out. She’s naked, symbolising her vulnerability and deprotection. Her husband, Marcos, is always looking for his belt, the one he uses to beat his wife with. Julia always hides it in the bathtub because she doesn’t want this violence to continue. She uses the water as a kind of protection to cover her body and hide the belt. When she feels the most comfortable is when the bathtub is full. But when the bathtub empties and the water starts to recede, revealing her naked bruised body, she feels unsheltered. As time goes by, drops fall into the water, filling the bathtub again. However, she remains the same age, she doesn’t grow old as it must represent that she suffers the same hell every day. It appears their son, Marquitos, who helps his father looking for the belt. When he realises what’s going on with his family, he drops his toy, breaking it. His toy must represent his innocence being broken by realising the truth about his family. As the film goes on, the characters grow old, except Julia, and everyday it’s the same, the cycle repeats. One day, Marcos’ brothers and their wives visit them and we can see that their wives suffer gender violence too. It’s a kind of family tradition. During the whole short film, Julia doesn’t speak, symbolizing that she doesn’t have a voice to defend herself because she’s annulled. There are plenty of symbols with deep meanings. In the end, the bathroom floods and Marcos drowns in it. Julia manages to get out of the water and suddenly finds herself in a huge sea. This ending could mean that she could escape from that prison.

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“The order of things” is a well-directed short film, with dramatic scenes and fast-moving performances.  However, what stood out the most for me was the performance of the thespian, especially the acting of Manuela Vellés. Although she performs the only character who doesn't speak in the whole short film, it seems to me the most complicated role to play as she has to give a lot of importance to her facial expressions and body movements in order to reach the audience. Her acting was peerless. Moreover, the soundtrack underlines a depressed and negative mood but when the plot has a twist at the end, it conveys a feeling of hope. In addition, the script is poignant. The scriptwriters have chosen the right words to make us think and used breathtaking symbols. There are only two settings but the needed to express it all. The first setting is in the bathroom and the second one is in the beach. They are completely opposite settings that shows us the contrast between suffering violence and being finally free.

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This short film is out of the ordinary. The main issue of the film is gender violence but this film involves all that this entails. They didn't just stick to the theme, they go beyond it, they deal about everything that goes with it - like isolation, the kids, the lies and the fake promises - and they do it in a creative and very visual way. The small details with deep meanings behind are what makes this short film powerful and thought-provoking. I had goosebumps from minute one and it has brought up all kinds of feelings; grief, anger, impotence and pity. The ending encourages the victims to escape from the violence and leave the bathtub behind.  The short film is a worthwhile watch. I highly recommend it and it’s not to be missed.

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