The Briefcase Phenomenon. (2010)
This is the winning short film by Siena Stone and Jalen Lyle-Holmes produced for the inaugural Poetry In Film Festival in 2010.
Filmmakers were tasked with creating short films based on a single poem by an Australian author. For 2010, the festival directors (Travis Crosbie and Roman Meyer) chose my poem ‘The Briefcase Phenomenon’ (2006) to be interpreted however the filmmakers saw fit.
It feels a little strange to watch this film now and also reflect on a poem (below) written in the early part of this century, when I was commuting to and from a day job as soul-destroying as the film’s protagonist. A lot of time has passed since then, and briefcases are now an historical artefact rather than the ubiquitous item they were when I wrote this poem. Sadly, patriarchy remains despite our best efforts.
The Briefcase Phenomenon
An observation:
half-empty briefcases
(with apples rolling from side to side)
act as umbilical cords to the office.
A tidy mobile desk drawer with lid—
lockable, and weathered at the edges.
They do not leave the lap
and do not slide from side to side,
but sit regally and flat-chested.
Just before the train delivers them home,
men return their books into imitation leather
and sit impatiently like small children at hometime.
(It's like a private club
or a ballet without music).