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First, the Recap:
They say you are what you eat. But has it been considered you are where you’ve been? Or how about, you are where you’ve formulated in your own mind that’s picture perfect and not actually at all what the real place is like? We see the world through eyes that so often wish to dictate a different image of a place than what the reality truly is, so as not to spoil the moments and pristine grandeur of how we’ve imagined it or heard it described. For to do otherwise would be to shatter every notion of those “ideal places” we’ve all wished to travel to and experience, knowing ahead of time (in our heads, mind you) the sublime state of being we will exist in when arriving and taking in all the sights and sounds expected. Welcome to a falsehood. Welcome to a fabrication. Welcome to the real Venice.
Next, my Mind:
There’s a seriously unapologetic and candidly blunt air of thinly veiled animosity towards tourists and intentionally satirical bite to be found in this 7-minute documentary short from director Sergio Marquez that recently screened during the 2nd Annual 2019 Berlin Illambra Experimental Film Festival held at the Salon AM Moritzplatz and hosted by Illambra. With its underlying metaphorical ambitions likewise in play when it comes to the “target” city this documentary has picked as its centerpiece, the film captures the admittedly ridiculous notions and fanciful images so many a tourist has when it comes to one of Italy’s most storied locales, almost elevating the water-based setting and canal-riddled streets to the status of Eden on many levels, too perfect to actually be real. Sadly, it is the case, as the Marquez suggests, that it’s caused Venice itself to become a sham, a cheap façade, an imitation of what everyone has made it to be rather than just accepting and encountering it as it is, a place that some Italians don’t wish visitors to, well, visit.
In the meantime, the tale then turns to the fact that because of this image the city has been given, it’s now not the only place in the world to experience the “authentic” Venice, with no less than three other places in the world boasting their own “perfected” concept of it, hence rendering the actual city a mere shadow, where flocking to engage with the genuine article becomes less than appealing unless allowing one’s mind to keep fashioning that consummate resemblance so as to avoid any sense of disappointment. Topping it off, there’s the stark realization that Venice is a slowly sinking city, literally, and it introduces another facet to the documentary’s thematic explorations when illustrating humanity’s morbid curiosity with watching things crumble, an “event” possibly even being looked forward to so as to gain the chance to watch it occur, cameras flashing, mouths dropped open in awe, even as it would all represent the loss of history, culture, and the legacy of a sincerely treasured place in Italy.
Visually the film offers some incredibly beautiful but also uncannily sobering views of Venice and its so profusely photographed, highly traveled, and celebrated canals, all which speaks to ages past and richness of societal progress, ingenuity, and legacy. Yet, then the cruise ships and streets spilling over with tourists are highlighted and it reminds us as the viewer of all the objectives the film aims to bring forward, suddenly becoming that rather startling reality check as to just how much we’ve overtaken all that’s sacred about this place and turned it into a fantasyland that it ultimately never intended to be. This is also emphasized through moments of found footage and YouTube uploads as well, which only puts everything into deeper perspective. The accompanying narration as provided by Katie McCracken delivers a steady, even-paced manner to the effort while the background music score matches the intended mood to a “T”.
Even when the images revert to ones of a directly non-Venice nature, it all still maintains our focus on the grander whole while finalizing the thoughts that seem to direct us to the equally sobering fact that we as human beings do indeed seem to love destruction on certain levels, as long as it isn’t our own ruin it would appear. What this means for the eventual and inevitable fate of Venice is anyone’s guess, the film leaving us in a state of pondering as it should, having enjoyed the darkly humorous but still impactful journey it has taken us on. In total, straight up and without any further ado, “You Are Venice” presents a healthy dose of dry wit and irony in the portrayal of how often we sacrifice unfeigned legitimacy for something utterly imagined.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
