The Guide

Project Description

The Guide, directed by Yana Deliyska, is a short film exploring the journey of a crime detective wrestling with his dissatisfaction and dreams of becoming a novelist. Over time, the protagonist’s psyche fractures, splitting into two personas: himself and his alter ego, or “the guide.” The film critiques the complexities and pitfalls of extreme individualism.

As the set designer, my role is to create a minimalist and symbolic environment that underscores the character’s internal conflict and self-discovery. During the initial research phase, I completed an internship at Koncepteriet, an architecture and interior design firm specializing in sustainable practices. Under the guidance of founder Stephan Hruza, I worked on Koncepteriet’s furniture project and simultaneously received valuable insights for my film project. FilmcentrumSyd has also provided vital support, offering creative direction and essential tools to bring the vision to life.

Design Philosophy

Inspired by the abstract minimalism of Lars von Trier’s Dogville (2003), the set of The Guide adopts a similarly pared-down aesthetic. Budget constraints necessitated an inventive approach, which, in turn, allowed us to break away from realism, opting instead for suggestive, almost theatrical design elements. Each set piece serves as a psychological cue, reflecting the protagonist’s shifting mental landscape and sense of entrapment in his own mind.

Materials

The sets are crafted primarily from paper, fabric, and simple drawings. Furniture items, such as desks and chairs, are constructed out of these lightweight materials, allowing for easy reconfiguration and stylized minimalism. Charcoal-drawn outlines define key objects, like the desk and door in the detective’s office, suggesting their presence without grounding them fully in the physical world.

Symbolic Objects

The detective’s bookshelf, a significant symbol of his aspirations, is abstractly represented by book titles suspended from the ceiling rather than actual books, visually emphasizing his unfulfilled dreams of authorship. This concept, along with other exaggerated elements, adds to the character's internal world and speaks to the guiding themes of ambition and constraint.

The set design accentuates the protagonist's dream-like, delusional state by distorting the physical space he inhabits, blurring the boundaries between his reality and imagination. Elements appear suspended, impermanent, or drawn in outline, creating an unsettling ambiguity around what is "real." This abstraction embodies his mental fracture, allowing the viewer to experience the world through his distorted perspective. The ethereal and fragmented environment reflects his inner chaos and detachment, grounding the audience within his psyche and underscoring his descent into introspection and self-doubt.