A film filled with the beauty of chance; When Will the Chameleon Speak, directed by Lea Pfandler points us towards the power of creativity.
The film follows three characters. Bella; a street performer and song writer struggling to hold an audience. Sarah; a poet trying to escape the shadow of her alcoholic mother. And finally Josephine; a dancer who wants to be free from dancing.
The lives of Bella and Sarah are brought together when Bella finds a poem discarded by Sarah and turns it into a song. With no idea who wrote the poem, Bella takes her song to the streets. The creativity of another helped her find her own voice.
In another stroke of fate, the two are brought together by Josephine, who is having a difficult time managing other peoples’ expectations of her. As Bella and Sarah comfort Josephine, the truth about the origin of the song comes out. The three share a cathartic conversation, sharing vulnerabilities and ambitions.
Together they find joy and purpose; the final frames of each character looking straight at the camera are especially moving and poignant.
The three actresses have good chemistry together, particularly Rose Stoller and Jamie Lazan as Bella and Sarah’s stories are interconnected on a deeper level. Maayan Amiran as Josephine provides a good balance for the pair and adds a different dynamic to the relationship, leaning towards the potential negative impacts of relentlessly pursuing something at the cost of everything else. The highlight of the film has to be the song ‘I Am The Chameleon’ which is a credit to Stoller and Lazan’s musical/ lyrical capabilities.
When Will the Chameleon Speak is an inspiring film of poetic possibility.