I just watched this remarkable piece on HBO On Demand.
I was drawn into this simple story at its outset with the endearing old Hispanic woman fervently praying for relief of some sort. The laundry scene initially seemed a little too dull and drawn out, but I eventually realized that as the scene was drawn out I became increasingly drawn in. I sat there for two minutes wondering why I as a viewer must sit there and watch this lonely woman in a lonesome place perform the loneliest of tasks. This aspect of the movie paid off once I realized that this woman's existence is taking place in the isolating crevices of her inner being. As Ms Clarke declares in the accompanying interview, this story marks a moment in this woman's long-running personal hell. The colors in the film beautifully represent that daunting and oppressive hell as does the emotional/emotionless interplay between the protagonist and her youthful counterpart. The neatest thing about the film is the director's decision to utilize two different languages. This, in a way, represents the dichotomy between the protagonist's cold and seemingly self-assured youthful self and her present, weary, and jaded existence. It is as if in her continued effort to come to terms with a very important moment in her past she must find an entirely new language or reconcile her native tongue with a new one.
I look forward to seeing more of Ms Clarke's work.
I was drawn into this simple story at its outset with the endearing old Hispanic woman fervently praying for relief of some sort. The laundry scene initially seemed a little too dull and drawn out, but I eventually realized that as the scene was drawn out I became increasingly drawn in. I sat there for two minutes wondering why I as a viewer must sit there and watch this lonely woman in a lonesome place perform the loneliest of tasks. This aspect of the movie paid off once I realized that this woman's existence is taking place in the isolating crevices of her inner being. As Ms Clarke declares in the accompanying interview, this story marks a moment in this woman's long-running personal hell. The colors in the film beautifully represent that daunting and oppressive hell as does the emotional/emotionless interplay between the protagonist and her youthful counterpart. The neatest thing about the film is the director's decision to utilize two different languages. This, in a way, represents the dichotomy between the protagonist's cold and seemingly self-assured youthful self and her present, weary, and jaded existence. It is as if in her continued effort to come to terms with a very important moment in her past she must find an entirely new language or reconcile her native tongue with a new one.
I look forward to seeing more of Ms Clarke's work.