There’s a palpable air of mystery and suspense to Alex Prager‘s Mise-en-scène stills, taken from her short films Despair and Les Petite Mort; although the titles give away that all is not well in these vignettes, it’s clear enough from the portentous looks, the gathered crowds, the welling eyes, and the dramatically lit characters. The fun is guessing as to the reason for all the hand-wringing, and speculating on how the players came to be where they are.

Why is the lady with the bouffant hair standing in a river, watched by what appears to be a hostile posse of town do-gooders and moral high-grounders? And who is the flame-haired damsel in distress (yep, that’s Bryce Dallas Howard) talking to on the phone? The kidnappers? The lover that was supposed to be waiting for her, bags packed and with the engine running? You’ll have to go along to the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, United States, if you want to find out for sure — as the college’s Museum of Art is showing both of Prager’s short films along with the selected stills until 8th December. Don’t worry non-Georgia residents, you can watch them online here.

Alex Prager,
“Despair Film Still #2 (close up)”, 2010
© Alex Prager,
Courtesy of Yancey Richardson Gallery.

Alex Prager,
“La Petite Mort Film Still #10,”
archival pigment print, 2012.
© Alex Prager.
Courtesy of Yancey Richardson Gallery, New York.

Alex Prager,
“Despair Film Still #1 (close up)”, 2010
© Alex Prager,
Courtesy of Yancey Richardson Gallery.

Alex Prager,
“La Petite Mort Film Still #11,”
archival pigment print, 2012.
© Alex Prager.
Courtesy of Yancey Richardson Gallery, New York.

Alex Prager,
“La Petite Mort Film Still #12,”
archival pigment print, 2012.
© Alex Prager.
Courtesy of Yancey Richardson Gallery, New York.