Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival
A blind photographer, a renowned neurologist, a Nobel laureate and several filmmakers are among the eloquent participants in the Brazilian documentary "Janela da Alma" (Window of the Soul), a philosophical dialogue on the nature of vision. Working with directing-writing-producing partner Joao Jardim, cinematographer Walter Carvalho marks his helming debut with this provocative film, in which accomplished individuals with varying degrees of visual impairment address the subject from a multitude of angles -- profane and rarefied, personal and sociological.
Carvalho, highly regarded for his work on such films as "Central Station" and "Madame Sata", and his co-director interweave the inquisitive, discerning voices into an affecting fugue. Delving into psychology, art and the increasing disaffection of contemporary life, this high-quality item will find an appreciative audience at festivals and cinematheques and in classrooms. It screens at the Museum of Modern Art in New York after its recent competition slot at the L.A. Latino fest.
The musings begin with a poetic insight by Nobel Prize-winning Portuguese novelist Jose Saramago into the physiological limits of human vision -- specifically, why our very notion of romantic love would not exist if we could see as sharply as falcons. Several blind interviewees speak of how heightened their other senses are, some postulating that sight can hinder inner vision. Franco-Slovenian photographer Evgen Bavcar, for one, challenges assumptions with his striking black-and-white snapshots of beautiful women, among them actress Hanna Schygulla.
Running through most of the commentaries is the idea that imagination and emotion transfigure the way we see the world. Neurologist-author Oliver Sacks discusses the crucial link between emotion and visual cognition, while director Agnes Varda deconstructs footage of her late husband, filmmaker Jacques Demy, explaining that her deep affection for him dictated camera placement and the very length of shots.
Wim Wenders offers some of the most incisive remarks, including a critique of the tendency of contemporary films to provide closed, complete visuals rather than imagery that leaves space for the viewer's interpretations and responses, like reading between the lines of a book. There's plenty of room for such involvement in this elegant documentary.
A blind photographer, a renowned neurologist, a Nobel laureate and several filmmakers are among the eloquent participants in the Brazilian documentary "Janela da Alma" (Window of the Soul), a philosophical dialogue on the nature of vision. Working with directing-writing-producing partner Joao Jardim, cinematographer Walter Carvalho marks his helming debut with this provocative film, in which accomplished individuals with varying degrees of visual impairment address the subject from a multitude of angles -- profane and rarefied, personal and sociological.
Carvalho, highly regarded for his work on such films as "Central Station" and "Madame Sata", and his co-director interweave the inquisitive, discerning voices into an affecting fugue. Delving into psychology, art and the increasing disaffection of contemporary life, this high-quality item will find an appreciative audience at festivals and cinematheques and in classrooms. It screens at the Museum of Modern Art in New York after its recent competition slot at the L.A. Latino fest.
The musings begin with a poetic insight by Nobel Prize-winning Portuguese novelist Jose Saramago into the physiological limits of human vision -- specifically, why our very notion of romantic love would not exist if we could see as sharply as falcons. Several blind interviewees speak of how heightened their other senses are, some postulating that sight can hinder inner vision. Franco-Slovenian photographer Evgen Bavcar, for one, challenges assumptions with his striking black-and-white snapshots of beautiful women, among them actress Hanna Schygulla.
Running through most of the commentaries is the idea that imagination and emotion transfigure the way we see the world. Neurologist-author Oliver Sacks discusses the crucial link between emotion and visual cognition, while director Agnes Varda deconstructs footage of her late husband, filmmaker Jacques Demy, explaining that her deep affection for him dictated camera placement and the very length of shots.
Wim Wenders offers some of the most incisive remarks, including a critique of the tendency of contemporary films to provide closed, complete visuals rather than imagery that leaves space for the viewer's interpretations and responses, like reading between the lines of a book. There's plenty of room for such involvement in this elegant documentary.
Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival
A blind photographer, a renowned neurologist, a Nobel laureate and several filmmakers are among the eloquent participants in the Brazilian documentary "Janela da Alma" (Window of the Soul), a philosophical dialogue on the nature of vision. Working with directing-writing-producing partner Joao Jardim, cinematographer Walter Carvalho marks his helming debut with this provocative film, in which accomplished individuals with varying degrees of visual impairment address the subject from a multitude of angles -- profane and rarefied, personal and sociological.
Carvalho, highly regarded for his work on such films as "Central Station" and "Madame Sata", and his co-director interweave the inquisitive, discerning voices into an affecting fugue. Delving into psychology, art and the increasing disaffection of contemporary life, this high-quality item will find an appreciative audience at festivals and cinematheques and in classrooms. It screens at the Museum of Modern Art in New York after its recent competition slot at the L.A. Latino fest.
The musings begin with a poetic insight by Nobel Prize-winning Portuguese novelist Jose Saramago into the physiological limits of human vision -- specifically, why our very notion of romantic love would not exist if we could see as sharply as falcons. Several blind interviewees speak of how heightened their other senses are, some postulating that sight can hinder inner vision. Franco-Slovenian photographer Evgen Bavcar, for one, challenges assumptions with his striking black-and-white snapshots of beautiful women, among them actress Hanna Schygulla.
Running through most of the commentaries is the idea that imagination and emotion transfigure the way we see the world. Neurologist-author Oliver Sacks discusses the crucial link between emotion and visual cognition, while director Agnes Varda deconstructs footage of her late husband, filmmaker Jacques Demy, explaining that her deep affection for him dictated camera placement and the very length of shots.
Wim Wenders offers some of the most incisive remarks, including a critique of the tendency of contemporary films to provide closed, complete visuals rather than imagery that leaves space for the viewer's interpretations and responses, like reading between the lines of a book. There's plenty of room for such involvement in this elegant documentary.
A blind photographer, a renowned neurologist, a Nobel laureate and several filmmakers are among the eloquent participants in the Brazilian documentary "Janela da Alma" (Window of the Soul), a philosophical dialogue on the nature of vision. Working with directing-writing-producing partner Joao Jardim, cinematographer Walter Carvalho marks his helming debut with this provocative film, in which accomplished individuals with varying degrees of visual impairment address the subject from a multitude of angles -- profane and rarefied, personal and sociological.
Carvalho, highly regarded for his work on such films as "Central Station" and "Madame Sata", and his co-director interweave the inquisitive, discerning voices into an affecting fugue. Delving into psychology, art and the increasing disaffection of contemporary life, this high-quality item will find an appreciative audience at festivals and cinematheques and in classrooms. It screens at the Museum of Modern Art in New York after its recent competition slot at the L.A. Latino fest.
The musings begin with a poetic insight by Nobel Prize-winning Portuguese novelist Jose Saramago into the physiological limits of human vision -- specifically, why our very notion of romantic love would not exist if we could see as sharply as falcons. Several blind interviewees speak of how heightened their other senses are, some postulating that sight can hinder inner vision. Franco-Slovenian photographer Evgen Bavcar, for one, challenges assumptions with his striking black-and-white snapshots of beautiful women, among them actress Hanna Schygulla.
Running through most of the commentaries is the idea that imagination and emotion transfigure the way we see the world. Neurologist-author Oliver Sacks discusses the crucial link between emotion and visual cognition, while director Agnes Varda deconstructs footage of her late husband, filmmaker Jacques Demy, explaining that her deep affection for him dictated camera placement and the very length of shots.
Wim Wenders offers some of the most incisive remarks, including a critique of the tendency of contemporary films to provide closed, complete visuals rather than imagery that leaves space for the viewer's interpretations and responses, like reading between the lines of a book. There's plenty of room for such involvement in this elegant documentary.
- 8/28/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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