Is there any word better to describe Medina's debut feature other than "rhapsody?" Experimental, daring, perhaps. But this is just a poetic flow of images, concepts, sounds, with a surprisingly distinguished aesthetic. Whispers, ADHD image transitions, Godardian breaking up of music and the act of questioning whether or not sounds are diegetic give the film a jittery feel. There are true connections between certain scenes, between others, a simple stream-of-consciousness is all we have to go off of.
But make no mistake, Medina has a thesis. We hear 90s rap (a Big L lyric, "we wasn't poor, we was po'/we couldn't afford the ol' 'r'") and see a sign with the word "PO" on it. Medina realizes the stasis of poverty, as various scientific concepts regarding the notion of stasis are heard in a single channel through the film's complex audio. Poverty is something he sees as perpetual, as hopeless. It's not necessarily homelessness, but it seems to represent the simple longing for a better opportunity in the world. "And I love giving thanks/But it's all about survival," as heard in a character's rap lyrics.
Medina argues that the world has, in some ways, despite the ever- modernizing of our everyday lives, gone back to its roots. Poverty has made survival more pivotal than enjoyment, which I suppose it always has been. Medina realizes this too. Perhaps he is attempting to investigate the impact of this?
There is a very modern aesthetic at work here. Flashes of Goodbye to Language can be detected oftentimes, although unlike the old and playful Godard, Medina comes across more as a young poet, disillusioned with the world already. Snapchat, smartphone games, and hip hop all make prominent appearances throughout. But there's also a new frustration. From alienation, perhaps caused by technology. For a young guy like me (19) it's all too relate-able; the feeling that there's no one out there who's truly perfect and the longing for something that you're not quite sure how to put it in words. A mesmerizing, beautiful film, and one that gives me hope for cinema in the future.
But make no mistake, Medina has a thesis. We hear 90s rap (a Big L lyric, "we wasn't poor, we was po'/we couldn't afford the ol' 'r'") and see a sign with the word "PO" on it. Medina realizes the stasis of poverty, as various scientific concepts regarding the notion of stasis are heard in a single channel through the film's complex audio. Poverty is something he sees as perpetual, as hopeless. It's not necessarily homelessness, but it seems to represent the simple longing for a better opportunity in the world. "And I love giving thanks/But it's all about survival," as heard in a character's rap lyrics.
Medina argues that the world has, in some ways, despite the ever- modernizing of our everyday lives, gone back to its roots. Poverty has made survival more pivotal than enjoyment, which I suppose it always has been. Medina realizes this too. Perhaps he is attempting to investigate the impact of this?
There is a very modern aesthetic at work here. Flashes of Goodbye to Language can be detected oftentimes, although unlike the old and playful Godard, Medina comes across more as a young poet, disillusioned with the world already. Snapchat, smartphone games, and hip hop all make prominent appearances throughout. But there's also a new frustration. From alienation, perhaps caused by technology. For a young guy like me (19) it's all too relate-able; the feeling that there's no one out there who's truly perfect and the longing for something that you're not quite sure how to put it in words. A mesmerizing, beautiful film, and one that gives me hope for cinema in the future.
