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instep comment
Arty cinema: striking a balance between
reel and real
Art films remain important in this age of blockbusters at
the box office
By Sonya Rehman
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From
the startling, The Colour of Paradise by Majid Majidi, Rang-e-Khoda
is a Persian art film like no other. In one of the scenes after being
abandoned by his father, Mohammad, a young blind boy while sobbing
uncontrollably says, "Our teacher says that God loves the blind
more because they can't see. But I told him if it was so, He would
not make us blind so that we can't see Him. He answered, 'God is not
visible. He is everywhere. You can feel Him. You see Him through your
fingertips'.
This ninety-minute film has the ability to make the viewer's faith
speed back in alacrity like a silver bolt of lightning on an empty
black sky.
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Well-executed
art films have the ability to do just that. An art film is like a
rebellious statement made by filmmakers the world over against mainstream
cinema. These films are usually based around the existentialist school
of thought – where the human consciousness is explored and where
an individual is represented in an abstract, intangible and complex
form. It doesn't mean that big-budget flicks do not deal with many
of the issues that art films highlight, rather, mainstream movies
follow plots that are very 'fixed' – they don't teeter or deviate
like those of art films. Sexual identity crises (Breakfast on Pluto),
love and drama (Before Sunset), and discovering inner freedom (Fire)
are just some of the many themes that art films base themselves upon.
Art films represent real-life roles that are very multi-faceted –
not only does the character have dimensions, but the audience is led
to feel emotions that, too, are multi-dimensional. For instance, if
an art movie depicts a rapist, it not only illustrates his crime and
sin, but it also brings to light what the rapist's childhood was perhaps
like, that maybe the rapist himself, was a victim of infantile abuse.
The audience feels conflicted with regard to this certain character
- you hate him and yet you want to nurture the child within him. That's
the beauty of art films.
With regard to mainstream movies, they often represent characters
that are very one-dimensional - you have the good cop, the bad cop
and then the damsel in distress. Art films break free from this 'stationary
mould'. They portray characters that constantly transmute –
like a pound of putty in the hands of an elated three-year old throughout
the film! And that's just what makes an art film, with its simplistic
yet multifarious beauty, so very genuine. An art film's promotion
is also usually heavily reliant on word of mouth – making the
production feel all the more 'underground' and intriguing.
But what's really interesting to note is that a majority (if not all)
of arty-indie films are made on very limited, shoe-string budgets
- maybe this lack of funds gives filmmakers the creative drive needed
to improvise on all that they have and give their films that extra
touch? Whoever said mammoth budgets can ensure a great production
anyway? That's an excuse, which has perhaps been used a little too
often.
In Pakistan, before the initiation of the Karafilm Festival (a platform
for low-budget shorts, documentaries and art films) filmmakers and
music directors flexed their aesthetic abilities by incorporating
'abstract visual art' into their scripts and images. Mekaal Hasan
Band's music video, 'Rabba', directed by Maryam Rahman is a great
example. By taking a jab at globalization (the video's main feature
is a man with a large newspaper ball for a head) and the social estrangement
that comes with it, the video's concept, albeit abstract, happened
to hit very close to home. Other such remarkably 'arty' videos can
be exemplified further by examples such as Hadiqa Kiyani's 'Mahi',
Rushk's 'Khuahish' (as well as 'Behti Naar'), Ali Azmat's 'Na Re Na',
and numerous others.
A majority of these videos consist of vague sequences that are often
looped together by a central theme, a message or just simply are for
what they are – music videos bordering on the artsy (that are
a cut above the rest). The audiences too, appreciate creative videos
far better than those featuring singers running around and yelping
after sexy, young thing.
The reason why desi art films also do so well is also primarily because
the 'West' is greatly intrigued by South Asian culture. The international
audience has had it up to here what with the same bang-bang-wishy-washy
films that are churned out of Hollywood year after year. In mainstream
cinema, those that slam-dunk at the box-office are films such as Magnolia,
Adaptation, Memoirs of a geisha, Amelie and countless others. It goes
to show that the artiness of low-budget art films has trickled all
the way down into big-budget, mainstream movies.
Films such as these are not only innovative, but they also leave a
lot to the imagination. Therefore it is imperative for filmmakers
to realize that their films need to be 'unpredictable' and attention
seizing. The audience does not want to know who dies in the end and
who gets the girl. Successful films are those that have their viewers
aurally and visually tuned in till the very last minute.
Pakistani short-film makers (as well as documentary-makers) find themselves
in a prime position vis-à-vis local and of late, international
attention and interest. The fact that there's a very fine line between
'original' and 'pseudo', must be realized. With the establishment
of the Karafilm Society in Pakistan - and hopefully countless others
in the future - amateur (and seasoned filmmakers) must tread the line
with utmost care.
Art films shouldn't be made just for the 'sake of' being made…but
rather, to give Pakistani audiences (and those abroad) quality films
that are emotionally penetrating - by a strong foundation of concept,
script, technical know-how and of course a unique artistic touch.
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