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First, the Recap:
Reality. Do we actually stand back and contemplate it, or simply accept things as they are? The very composition of what makes everything around us tangible is alone a rather daunting consideration, given the complexities involved in formation, growth, decline, and ultimately demise. Our daily lives, however, just move forward, perhaps mostly oblivious to most facets of this cycle that is life and what it IS composed of. As such, what might it be like to “see” it from the perspective of the raw element, the cornerstone, of it all–matter.
Matter is taking a break from being and assessing its own sense of life. Witnessing it, deciphering it, meditating in it, experiencing every aspect of what its very meaning contains, Matter is privy to all that being alive is about. In beauty and peace through challenge and endings, Matter strives to maintain its hold over what it can control while also realizing that some things are inevitable and unavoidable. Yet, even in this actuality, there seems to be a constant in it all–renewal and rebirth.
Next, my Mind:
The very substance of what we see and, more often, most likely take for granted gets a decidedly esoteric, uniquely engaging, magnificently awe-inspiring aural and visual presentation that speaks volumes to not just the undeniable talent found within the indie film community, but also to the even more obscure realms of experimental cinema as well. Brought to life by writer/director/photographer Samuel Féron, this 26-minute feast for the senses definitively transcends the prototypical narrative and character-driven film format, instead employing the sheer majesty of an unfolding tapestry of photographs accompanied by the wonderfully ethereal, enchantingly atmospheric music of London-based group Archive to weave its own fashion of “story” that isn’t from a human viewpoint, but rather an elemental one.
As the co-founder and head editor of the photographic site Terra Quantum, Féron immerses us as the viewer into this image and music-driven journey as “seen” through the “eyes” of the make-up of all that exists–Matter–and its manifestations experienced as it confronts the building of the world from Nothingness but then having to battle two inexorable forces that cause its very essence to both thrive and face death–Man and Time. How we following this sojourn is aided greatly by text-centric “narration” that appears onscreen as each sequence of the film unfolds, broken out into a Prologue, four Scenes, and an Epilogue that envelop Matter’s triumphs, questionings, and trials while the constantly shifting photographs illustrate each Scene’s themes with precise and evident intent that DOES absolutely make sense.
It’s almost like watching a documentary minus the voiceover work, and yet the foundational text that is a part of each section of the film allows the viewer to, in my opinion anyway, fully comprehend the “narrative” being explored even as you’re simply relishing the utter amazingness of the imagery and how it is utilized to create such an eccentrically stirring adventure. Personally, this critic believes its the wonder of what experimental cinema is all about, and I hope those who have the opportunity to watch this film can genuinely appreciate and accept it AS a short film, in that context, while also lauding the artistry and boldness it represents for it to be out there as a piece of cinematic art and the importance of its place amongst other styles of filmmaking. There’s a lushness to the melding of not only visual/music stylings to draw us in, but demonstrates a kaleidoscope of thematic forays into the metaphorical, the philosophical, the existential, and the allegorical.
It’s a means to look upon LIFE in a fresh and compelling way, to really stop and THINK about it, as how Matter’s road is paved throughout the film is a statement ABOUT our humanity in many respects, ABOUT the world we reside in, and the ever-flowing, ever-fluctuating realizations of how WE and time impact it all for both good and ill. Yes, some of this is certainly arrived at by conjecture, but again, I feel that’s the magic of this film and the creative direction Féron chose to do here. As mentioned earlier, or implied and/or hinted at, the images are so astounding in their aesthetic vividness (plus seen in 4K…WOW!), conveying barrenness and the void, the bursting from darkness into vibrant colors, world-building all along the way, then watching as it all erodes away back into such a basic form, only to spring forward once more, reestablishing its form, then facing oblivion again.
The photos themselves encompass shots from Iceland, Ethiopia, Jordan, New Mexico, and Hawaii, all such apropos locales to capture the very core of what the film engenders within you as you watch. I only remain a little vague about the intricacies and details of the photos here as this really is a film to BE seen and absorbed in order to sincerely embrace what emotions and sensations it elicits. One would wish that upon seeing this project, you will take away from it a better overall sense of this planet, its glory, and the fact that we DO need to take care of it so much better than we have. This isn’t some “preachy” agenda, but rather an evocatively profound way to open your mind to the concepts of everything having its origin, birth, vitality, decay, death, then rebirth, all wrapped in a deeply moving shell of photographic and musical splendor.
As such, the other primary dimension at work throughout the film ARE the mesmeric sonic medleys provided by Archive, which ebb and flow with such precision and intent so as to move along with the project’s visuals and underlying thematic explorations conveyed, a fluid, keenly resolute “character” in itself. The group is well known for bringing about a high diversity of symphonic genres and it is on full display here. From pulsating, techno-centric offerings and alternative pop to slow, almost euphoric ballads, some fully instrumental, others with vocals, it all becomes this exposé of sonorous expressiveness, totally and astutely befitting each sequence, adding that layer of emotive resonance, allowing the images being witnessed to sink into your mind even with more potency. The building, then climax, then re-building of these layers is a testament to the very CHOICE of music to employ, making it an integral, noteworthy, essential component.
And to expand on this a little more, it is the symbiosis, the actual merging of the two artistic mediums that make this film so stirring and evocative, as what we’re taking in with our ears is equally served BY the pictures as well, enhancing the viewer’s appreciation and even comprehension of the images in order to therefore construct a wholly universal experience that is effective in causing your emotional investment in it all to be at peak levels. So, in total, “Matter!” takes us into the nucleus of our world’s being, doing so in a manner that washes our senses with the spectacles of the Earth as seen through the lens of man, but carried forward through the perceived, imaginative, and expressive “voice” of what makes it all up. Mirroring our own notions of life and what it entails with originality, purpose, optical amazement, symphonic presence, and unconventional approach, this IS experimental cinema in its raw, affecting form, that more than deserves notice, reflection, and support.
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
