MINNEAPOLIS — Local girlfriend Jemma Brady created an immersive narrative experience to signal her physical discomfort to her new boyfriend Keith Powers in what many are calling an inventive approach to communication.
“She got goosebumps the second we arrived at Keith’s place. She was wearing a short sleeve shirt, so Keith had to see them when she went in for a hug. Then she folded her arms in front of her, kind of hunched over, and absentmindedly rubbed her hands up and down her biceps. That’s how she was expertly able to show she was cold without uttering a single line of dialogue,” said friend of the couple, Sydney Hodges. “While we were in the kitchen making popcorn, she started messing with the thermostat. The girl really knows how to use mise-en-scene.”
Brady says she has been working on various techniques to get information across to her boyfriend in ways that let him discover it on his own.
“Relationships are inherently spatial,” said Brady. “Keith’s one-bedroom-plus-bonus-office apartment is more than just a setting — it’s a world he keeps cooled to 67 degrees, even in the summer. And it’s drafty, so the AC is pretty much blowing constantly.”
Powers, however, said he’s still getting used to Brady’s methods.
“Looking back, some of the hints seem so obvious, but I didn’t think much of them at the time. Like, she got a big blanket for us to share, but I just thought she wanted to cuddle,” Powers explained. “I actually think I would have gotten it faster if Heather hadn’t picked Snowpiercer as the movie. I’m usually more of a lore guy, so that threw me off. I finally figured it out when Jemma borrowed my sweatshirt. She stopped shivering almost instantly. That’s environmental storytelling.”
“I think I’m better at picking up on subtle cues than I used to be, and solving problems is so much more satisfying,” Powers added. “When it finally clicked, I didn’t just know Jemma was cold—I felt it.
At press time, Brady reportedly left voice recordings around the apartment for Powers to find so he could learn that she wishes he would do some dishes.
