Stations of the Cross in Cinemas Today. Did we like it?
With a touch of magical realism, “Stations of The Cross” is easily one of the must see films of the year as it is truly wondrous in the way it carefully avoids clichés – the biggest sin in cinema.
“…you know that this music can be satanically influenced. The drum rhythms and the monotonous bass lines tempt us to unchaste actions”, told by her Priest about singing gospel and soul in a different church's choir, Maria, our sacrificial protagonist wiped her tears before abandoning a chance to sing with the boy she likes due to the differences in their respective branch of Christianity. Such is life for the girl who has been living her whole life avoiding committing sins, a pursuit of purity that has deprived humanity from every aspect of her life. Or maybe as another “Virgin Suicide” story, the film “Stations of The Cross” de-glorifies sacraments or fundamentalism in any ideologies through a wonderfully acted set of 14 long-takes, depicting a present day German girl's life in the most horrifying circumstances – being a member of Society of St. Paul. Director Dietrich Brüggemann employed a fantastical and yet frightfully risky way of unfolding the story which involves almost no movements of the camera, literally framing the film allowing no possibility to shift focal points. A metaphor – zero tolerance of alternative points of view. The genius of this technique presents itself beautifully in the library scene where boy meets girl for the first time, a treat that will without a doubt become a classic for its imaginative way of opening dimensions in just one static shot. Maria's character played by Lea Van Acken was perfectly cast but it was the strict and brutally uncompromising mother played by Austrian actress Franziska Weisz who brought the acting to the sublime. With a touch of magical realism, “Stations of The Cross” is easily one of the must see films of the year as it is truly wondrous in the way it carefully avoids clichés – the biggest sin in cinema.
STATIONS OF THE CROSS is in cinemas 28 November
Award-winning film which won the Berlin Silver Bear for Best Script this year and the EIFF Student Jury Prize.
THE SHORT FILM MOVEMENT+ PRESENTS SONGS OF REFLECTION
Often, short films receive little attention and are disregarded as calling cards for directors or opening acts to feature films. Short films, however, are more than a bland appetizer to the main course; they can capture moments or feelings relatable to all in less than a minute. Latoya Gill and her organisation the Short Film Movement+ are helping audiences discover and rethink short films. This Thursday, Gill and her movement present Songs of Reflection: an event that will screen shorts that appropriately cover the theme of reflection. The soirée will also include a discussion and performances.
The Short Film Movement+ is a space where creative types can come together and explore ideas related to the human condition. The + in the name represents other forms of creative expression utilized in meetings such as poetry, music, and dance. The organisation also aims to promote quality independent films that have either been overlooked or have gathered dust on the shelf.
In keeping with the Short Film Movement +’s underground philosophy, it operates like a speakeasy. The gatherings are held in the basement of the barbershop, We Are Cuts in Soho. Entry price is four pounds (or three if one comes prepared to contribute to the discussion). Guests are also encouraged to bring snacks to share.
Thursday 30th October at We Are Cuts, 33A Dean Street, London, W1D 4PP
PRICE: £4 – £3 TIME: 8PM
Don’t forget to bring a snack!
WINDOW LICKER: A chaotic sensory sculpture
Founder of LeftHouse Films, Brian Mcguire is the writer, director and star of his latest film WiNdOw LiCkEr, which has its premiere at Raindance Film Festival this week.
A dizzying cacophony of visuals and sound, Brian Mcguire’s WiNdOw LiCkEr is often difficult to watch. In some ways, it is not proper to call this a film at all, as what has actually been crafted here is more of a sensory sculpture. The constant focus on a character’s features, as well as the discordant clash of visuals and sound, are enhanced by Mcguire’s stylistic choice to film the work primarily on an Android smart phone, in part due to lack of budget. The plot of the film follows Ben Wild (played by the director) as he rapidly descends into a madness brought about by his manic depressive lifestyle of addiction to live camera girls, video games and self prescribed medication.
A number of techniques are employed throughout the film, from slow motion to stop motion animation, the latter used to form disturbed dream sequences where bottles of pills perform a wild danse macabre that spills over into the waking world of Ben. There is also an impressive use of symbolism present throughout the film, as Mcguire chooses to call upon external imagery to present to the audience Ben’s own internal struggle. One can’t help but notice the employment of Freud’s structural model of the psyche within the film; the ‘JoePop’ reality television programme representing the protagonist’s ego, the camera girls suggesting a drive towards the pleasure principle of the id, and the religious guidance teacher bringing the superego into play. When Ben’s sister arrives, we are immediately presented with a nonstop farcical dialogue reminiscent of the mouth in Beckett’s play, Not I. She, like the other supporting players, seems only to exist for Ben’s own mental anguish to be justified and expounded. Perhaps this all stretches the metaphor too far, but it’s all to play for in this wild journey through the mind of a man crashing toward his own bitter fate.
About an hour in, the biggest challenge is presented to the audience, who must endure Ben’s sickness in full, gut churning, room spinning climax. After this ordeal, he attempts to redeem himself with a confessional that drastically changes the pace of the film. The atmosphere becomes more serene as he conducts himself with a sanity thus far hidden from view, but one that is perhaps a little misleading as the film takes another dark turn.
When Christo moves in, the audience is inclined to see this as Ben’s redemption, a literal Christ-like figure stepping in to provide salvation, but we begin to suspect that this is in fact a manifestation of his own mind cradling itself, a soothing action that in turn begins to strangle him. Mcguire has created a rich tapestry here that pulls a lot together for the viewer to examine and discuss, with a dénouement that generates an audience experience of sympathy and understanding toward the protagonist. The film is showing at Raindance Film Festival this October so make sure you get your tickets before they’re gone!
Screenings at Raindance Film Festival
Friday 03 October 01:10 PM | Saturday 04 October 08:20 PM