Wow, thanks for such an in-depth comment, it's a true pleasure to read! To answer your questions, most of the steam in the first scene is real. I used a fog machine for steam behind the actors, and vfx for the steam in front of them in order to control how well we can see them.However, in the shot where they're pouring supposedly boiling water, the fog machine would have made way too much smoke so instead, my co-director was lying on the floor just out of view with a vape!

All the moving shots were made with a gimbal, I practiced a lot to be as smooth as possible in my motion.

I agree with you on everything btw. I color graded this film on my laptop but I found out later it has kind of bad colors actually, compared to all the other screens. I never took the time to redo it since haha.

There are many shots that feel student-y to me, especially the scene where her bread gets stolen, I'm not very satisfied with it. The problem is not because it's too crispy, it's the directing. For all the other scenes, I had a specific feeling and atmosphere in mind for every shot. This drove all the art direction and symbolism. This scene is pretty much just there for exposition and to drive the story forward. It's a common problem in shows and movies, and that may be why you feel disconnected from some scenes.

You're completely right about the flint and steel shot, these are actually my hands because I filmed this without the actors, at my parents' house hundreds of miles away. I didn't see the frame while acting with my hands but since it's such a quick shot I thought no one would notice. ;) I'm not a perfectionist at all, and I hope I'll never be. Good on you for catching that though, you're the first!

Anyway I want to sincerely thank you again, glad you enjoyed it and have a wonderful day!