I asked Richard about this and he suggested I post a simplified or shortened version of the link which would enable friends to access the movie more easily, so here it is:
https://psyche.co/films/crowded-spaces-complete-strangers-meditations-on-the-urban-commute
Here's Richard's comment on seeing it:
"This is so relatable. I remember many years ago (maybe in the 80s when I used to catch public transport to school every day -- a 1.5hr or more commute each way) thinking about this very thing. This was prior to my filmmaking life.
This is exactly the kind of film I would love to have made of this exact thing. Catherine and Jimmy beat me to it :)
A captivating piece, bringing to life this common experience through a strong, yet gently flowing cinematic experience."
I hope you like it.
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Thanks Peter and Richard !
ReplyDeleteThis is a nice little film. It has control and rhythm (the images and the editing of them), and that is always pleasing to see. And the frisson is then provided by the voice over. I think, personally, it would have worked better in colour, but I do favour colour, overall. The film avoids that pitfall of the "city symphony" film, of trying to rush everything together, in that very Russian neutral observational style. It gets it - it gets that life is not just about the mosaic of urban life and its movements, etc. It's also about the people going through that mosaic, and their feelings. It captures so well that balance between privacy and connection when it comes to public spaces.
When the guy said he dubbed his fellow parallel human "The Cowboy", I had to smile to myself, as I also dub the people I see in my neighborhood here certain things - "The Cleaner", "The Gardener", "The Grump", etc, etc. Of course, being a country town here practically, everyone almost always greets each other, and sometimes a small or long conversation ensues. I'm sure that I also am known as "The Walker" in the hood here, as everyone else has a car to get around in.
Ah, life .... !
Thanks for your comment Bill... er, "The Walker"! I'm firmly in favour of the stylish B&W photography but agree with you on all the rest of your comments. I noticed in my numerous trips to Melbourne by train (prior to the arrival of Covid) that passengers had zero interest in each other, no conversations at all, no eye contact, and in what used to be full carriages everyone seemed glued to their tablet or their mobile, occasionally to a laptop. It was almost as if all conversation had been banned!
ReplyDeleteThis little film has so many qualities, not the least being a wedding between fine observational material cinema-verite footage and dramatised or set-up images for the storytelling it explores.
Yes, the set ups and the real footage seem to meld perfectly, and I'm not sure how ! I would've expected a shakier image for the real shots. And yes, these days, people are lost in their own devices. Hardly anyone just daydreams looking out the window, and also no-one truly "observes" the entire surroundings, curiously looking at the other passengers. In fact, if there are two people who can be called "The Observer" in any train carriage, then they will quickly spot each other.
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