The Line, the Cross & the Curve

In the recording studio, a singer practices with her band while a dancer named Rubberband Girl adds flair. After everyone else leaves, she stays behind and sings to herself by candlelight, performing And So Is Love. The moment blends performance with isolation, hinting at a world where music and ritual intertwine.

A mysterious woman crashes through the studio mirror, claiming she survived a fire and pleading for help to return home. She offers the singer her red ballet shoes if the singer draws three symbols on papers: a line, a cross, and a curve. The symbols are said to represent the singer's path, heart, and smile.

The bandages around the woman's hands spin off, signaling danger, and before the singer can react the shoes tie themselves to her feet. The villain returns through the mirror, and a pale man gestures to the singer as if guiding her. The singer slips through the mirror into the other world where the shoes exert control.

A quiet guide appears in the other world and takes the singer under his wing, first calming the dancing shoes and then warning that escape depends on singing back the symbols. He leads her to Lily, a mystic who offers protection and advice. Lily helps the singer begin to recover the line symbol.

Following the guide's advice, the singer concentrates on the line with Lily's help and focuses on its meaning. Lily's guidance strengthens her resolve and prepares her for the trials ahead. The process marks a turning point in her struggle against the villain.

On the guide's advice, the singer recalls loved ones, including some who have died, and this memory helps her recover the cross symbol. The cross becomes a conduit for emotional power and personal loss, tying her to those she misses. The singer feels ready to confront the villain with renewed inner strength.

The villain reappears and taunts the singer, who realizes she is not just fearless but afraid of losing her power. She resolves to reclaim all three pieces of paper and regain control. The chase ignites as the two move toward a confrontation.

They reach a surreal scene where a group of people dances joyfully on a carpet of fruits, and the singer briefly joins them while the villain continues to flee with the papers. The sense of release and danger deepens as the chase continues. The moment marks a key turning point in reclaiming the symbols.

The singer collapses in happy exhaustion as the papers fly from the villain's hand into hers. The shoes, however, return to the villain's feet, signaling a setback in the power struggle. Yet her own inner strength remains, and the moment seeds renewed resolve.

The singer returns through the mirror to her own world, stepping back into the studio with the echo of the other realm guiding her. The villain is buried in a pile of rubble, defeated for now. But the final image hints that the shoes still hold sway, as the villain's feet emerge to dance.

Although buried in rubble, the villain's feet, still bound to the red shoes, manage a last haunting movement and continue to dance. This shows the song's power sustaining even in defeat, suggesting a haunting continuation of her influence. The film ends with the paradox of power held by the shoes and a dance that cannot be stopped.