OSTINATO

There’s something profoundly unsettling about Ostinato—a creeping dissonance beneath its elegant composition. In just one minute, the film distills a modern existential crisis into a simple yet striking metaphor: the relentless hum of tinnitus standing in for the insidious pressure of societal expectations. It's rare to see a short so precisely capture the sensation of being overwhelmed without descending into melodrama. Here, the pressure isn’t just heard—it’s felt.

The film opens with Rose, perched at the edge of a house party, clutching a glass of wine. Already, we sense the disconnect. The room is alive with chatter, but Rose is tuned into a different frequency altogether. Her narration is calm but haunted: she loves music, but since developing tinnitus, even sound—once a source of joy—has become a torment. This sets the stage for a quietly devastating metaphor. The tinnitus isn’t just a medical condition—it’s the ceaseless buzz of social expectation, the weight of being perceived. The laughter of others becomes sharp-edged; compliments sound like backhanded barbs. The melody of life, once beautiful, has turned discordant.

The brilliance of "Ostinato" lies in how it links sound and emotional pressure so viscerally. Director Oksana Maignan understands that modern exhaustion isn’t loud or chaotic—it’s the quiet, unrelenting hum beneath everything. Social media, career pressure, body image, the need to always be “on”—all of it blends into a deafening loop, a high-pitched whine just out of reach. And Rose, like so many of us, has reached a breaking point.

The most chilling moment comes when Rose, her ear visibly bleeding, slips on a pair of headphones. The symbolism is gutting: rather than seek silence, she chooses to drown out one noise with another. It’s a dark but painfully honest conclusion. In a world where peace feels unattainable, sometimes the only escape is numbing distraction.

"Ostinato" may be brief, but it lingers like the titular melody—a haunting, cyclical reminder of how modern life corners us into impossible standards. Its greatest strength lies in its refusal to offer easy answers. The tinnitus won’t stop. The pressure won’t fade. But the film holds space for those who simply want a moment of quiet amid the noise. And perhaps that’s enough.