Tulpan

 














Directed by Sergei Dvortsevoy
Released in 2008
Country of Kazakhstan, Russia, Germany,
Poland, Switzerland and Italy

Reasons for watching: In a post for the Unspoken Cinema blog Tulpan is discussed as an example of a documentary mode of Slow/Contemplative Cinema along with films such as Sweetgrass.

Usefulness:  The focus of Tulpan is on the peripheral existence of those living outside of our contemporary western society and the contrast in lifestyle pace is a recurring narrative theme with Slow/Contemplative cinema and Tulpan therefore shares this thematic link with many films I have been looking at. I have however tried to construct a definition and corpus of films based more on aesthetics and the style of Tulpan features more handheld moving cameras and dialogue than the mode of filmmaking I have been outlining. Aesthetically and formally Tulpan doesn't fit within the criteria I have outlined, yet the film remains a useful example of a more strictly Bazinian approach of filmmaking which Slow/Contemplative cinema starts out with before taking to its extreme end.

Verdict  D

Two Years at Sea

      Directed by Ben Rivers
      Released in 2011
      Running Time 88 minutes
      Country of Origin UK
      Camera Unknown 16mm

  





Reasons for watching: Ben Rivers is an artist whose work with film has seen him regularly compared with the Slow Cinema oeuvre.

Usefulness: Shot on 16mm, this film may fall outside of my hypothese that the use of Slow aesthetics leads towards the widespread adoption of digital capturing equipment, yet the film is very sparse and as a result of its documentary style recalls histroically Nanok of the North and more recently Sweetgrass or Le Quattro Volte as this film is devoid of a narrative and uses the format of the film to demonstrate the degree to which the unnamed protagonist lives outside of the conventional norm. He is a scavenger who lives through his own resourcefulness and the film draws us into his alternate way of life by inviting us to experience his personal perception of time.

Verdict: A

The Hunter

 
    Directed by Ravi Pitts

    Released in 2010
    Running Time 90 minutes

    Country of Origin Iran and Germany

Reasons for watching: Part of the Unspoken Cinema canon of Contemplative Cinema

Usefulness: Whereas some films I have been watching, use slow aesthetics as a dramatic device to puncture an otherwise faulty generic plot or synopsis like The Hunter, other films totally abandon narrative devices altogether. The result is often a character study or a portrait of an individual which removes dramatic device in favour of focusing solely on one small idea or moment. Albert Serra's take on Don Quiote is one of these kinds of films, as dramatic progression is absent. What replaces drama is a meandering trek through the wilderness by Quixote and his follower. By adopting this font Serra is able to produce a document of a wandering nomadic existence. Rather than tell a story about a nomadic existence. Rivers film Two Years at Sea is in the same mould. One is never told who the protagonist is, why he lives this life, how long he has been living like this. In fact there are no words at all. Fragments of photographs which appear across the screen every now and then may tell us about a younger version of the character we see, or may be meaningless. Like Serra's Don Quixote Rivers protagonist is leading a nomadic existence outside of society's norms and therefore the structure and form of the film must reflect this in order to underline the extreme lifestyle of its protagonist.

Verdict: A

Gerry

Directed by Gus Van Sant

Released in 2002

Running Time 103 minutes

Country of Origin USA

Camera Arriflex 535 (Analogue)

Reasons for watching: The film was inspired by Bela Tarr. As Tarr is a recurring figure within my corpus any films or filmmakers whose work has been influenced or inspired by Tarr have a degree of relevance to me. 

Usefulness: The lack of narrative and recurring images of the films stars (Casey Affleck and Matt Damon) wondering through a remote landscape recalls Albert Serra's film Honor de Cavalleria (Serra, 2006, USA). In my opinion by having recognisable actors the film is easier to watch and is a more curious experience as one doesn't expect the likes of Matt Damon and Casey Affleck to be in such a financially unattractive film. The film does make use of non diegetic music which is rare for Slow Cinema and the score, though rarely used, adds to the films aesthetic make up. The score consists of two pieces of music composed by Arvo Part whose music is very sparse and recalls John Cage in its austere minimalism.

Verdict A

Sátántangó

Directed by Bela Tarr
Released in 1994
Running Time 450 mins
Country of Origin Germany/Switzerland/Austria

Reasons for watching: The film's mammoth length combined with the status of Bela Tarr and his influence on Slow Cinema makes Satantango an important minimalist film. In Flanagan's (2008) 'Towards an Aesthetic of Slow in Contemporary Cinema.' Sátántangó is within the canon of films used to demonstrate just what a cinema of slowness is.

Usefulness: The film, much like Tarr's previous work, uses extremely slow pans which reveal the geography of the village and characterises the way of life of the villagers inhabitants. Within the film the recurring use of tracking shots following characters walking through the village advances the plot by showing how, and more importantly when they interact. This provides an overview of what has happened over the course of the day that much of the film takes place in. For example in one scene we follow a doctor walk to a public house where he bumps into a young girl walking towards the same pub holding a dead cat. This scene is repeated a few hours later when the story of why the girl is heading to the pub and why she is holding cat is revealed. The role of the long drawn out tracking shots and their overall lack of speed reflects the length of time individual acts take in this village and forces the viewer to experience the pace that the village operates at.

Verdict: B

Helen

Directed by Joe Lawlor and Cristine Molloy

Released in 2008

Running Time 103 mins

Country of Origin UK/Ireland

Camera: Panavision Panaflex Millennium (Analogue)

Reasons for watching: Helen has been written about as a film which is potentially useful to the canon of films I have been developing. In a review for Film Comment Jonathan Romney (2009, p.42) states "the film's measured syntax and visual language are closer to gallery video art than art cinema, but Helen yields echoes of Bresson, Egoyan, and Antonioni"

Usefulness: As a film which could contribute to my canon Helen meets some of the aesthetic criteria I have established. The film does correspond to the cinema of walking Matthew Flanagan describes in his article for 16:9, 'Towards an Aesthetic of Slow Cinema' as there are repetitive scene of the titular character wondering aimlessly through woods in an attempt to become closer to the girl she has been cast in L'Aventura and more recently in a film like Wendy and Lucy. By creating and failing to resolve a suspenseful event narratively Helen is not unique as many film-makers and script writers adopt that mode of Hitchcockian narrative technique, yet by matching the diffused narrative with the minimal aesthetics of slow cinema Helen resembles and has more in common with the films of my Slow Cinema canon.

Verdict: A

Bal (Honey)

Trailer for Bal (Honey)

Directed by Semih Kaplanoglu

Released in 2010

Running Time 103 mins

Country of Origin Turkey/Germany/France

Reasons for watching: Part of the Unspoken Cinema blogs canon of films.

Usefulness: The film uses more close ups than is commonly for Slow Cinema, but frequently features extended scenes and moments with little or no dialgoue. The young boy who is at the centre of the film is semi-mute and the films sparring of sound brings into focus the preipheral sounds of the rural environment where the film is set. Like the documentary Sweetgrass mentioned elsewhere in this blog, the lack of conversation and dialoge shifts the types of sounds that are given prominence reulsting in a unique sound scape of animal noises, the sounds of villagers and other rural sounds providing the sonic backdrop to the film. The film also avoids using any non-diegetic music which also highlights the diegetic sounds of the film.

Verdict: A