Key.

A: Corpus. A definitive part of the corpus which embodies both the aesthetic style of Slow Cinema and the conceptual element of my thesis.

B: Influence on Corpus. A film which has either directly or in-directly influenced a film or filmmaker which contributes to my corpus.

C: Peripheral Corpus. A film which has neither been an influence of the corpus nor contains the key aesthetical requirements to be a part of the corpus, yet can fairly be labelled as capturing the spirit of Slow Cinema.

D: Non Corpus. A film made by a filmmaker who is either part of the corpus or has been an influence on the corpus, or even influenced by the corpus yet doesn’t meet enough of the aesthetic requirements to be a part of the previous three groups.

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
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