Short Film Review “Usage unique” The expansive nature of humanity’s progress and use of what we rely on gets a seriously experimental cinematic ride
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First, the Recap:
Can you actually imagine a simpler life? Take a look around you, around US as the collective whole that is humanity, and what is it we see most definitively? Busy-ness. Reliance on so many things in just as many differing ways that are supposed to be the catalysts for our betterment and advancement in this thing we know as existence. Yet, if we truly pause, draw in a breath, and move a step back, can we revisit the history of times when all was so much easier? Or WAS is EVER easy to begin with?
There is a forest. And within this forest, a young man (Jérémy Boillat) is wandering on a day like any other day….or is it? Happening upon what appears to be an abandoned backpack, he begins to take the time to go through it and discover what is within, even as he also randomly comes upon other objects on his foray that soon finds him contemplating their applicability to himself…and to the world at large. What manifests from this? The very nature of who we are…or are becoming.
Next, my Mind:
Categorically existential, undeniably eccentric, assuredly original, and foundationally uncomplicated in its overall execution yet containing a depth of narrative intent that definitely showcases the very definition of experimental and independent cinema, this highly unconventional short film from Swiss writer/director Richard Joray and production company Image-Temps decidedly represents the genres above with enigmatic purpose that will stump some, engage others, and challenge us ALL as the filmgoing masses to step outside our own film preference comfort zones in an attempt to embrace something utterly different yet wholly artistic. This really boils down to presenting an tale of humanity’s evolution through the simplicity of everyday items that illustrate what once were, as the film’s title indicates, “single use” objects that have perhaps since been amplified to further employments that, perhaps, even threaten to swallow us up instead of freeing us.
This sounds “out there”, I am sure, and even this critic must confess to being a tad lost when first viewing this 9-minute effort, as given there is no dialogue but instead completely visual in nature, it did take me, albeit briefly, skimming an interview with Joray to at least gain a baseline comprehension of his project’s direction. I felt, then, that from there it becomes more about how the cornerstone concept of our progress, even metamorphosis, as people and the things we rely on to survive are shown, then interpreted. I feel this could honestly be totally different for many who would take this film in and digest it, and this IS imperative to understand that this IS a film that WILL take some THOUGHT when gleaning the meanings it is conveying. The sheer originality utilized here, which sees a narrative focused on one lone man’s assessment of random objects and their significance (or even INsignificance??) to our culture and perspectives on the world’s direction, is unavoidable.
As hinted at above, I think it’s forming a portrait of just how things that used to be SO straightforward in their use and subsequent pertinence in our lives have since become so overtly involved, complex, complicated, and intrusive that soon we would rather discard or dismiss them rather than deal with anything that is making our own efforts to just LIVE more complicated, wearisome, and possibly even detrimental…or flat out destructive…physically and/or mentally. Notions of the backpack itself, forming the catalyst for the character’s adventure we’re watching, is only a beginning that then morphs into, again what this critic feels, explorations of fire, knives, hunting, farming, cooking, reading, images, sound/music, phones, and how we traverse from place to place in a manner that is actually so clever and intelligent.
The mix of the man’s reactions and curiosity about all the items that lead him to his inward queries and outward actions to delve into each one’s usage is combined with equally random snapshot images that deftly enhance the particular element he’s drawn in by as he discovers each one, and it DOES make the grander narrative’s course make a lot more sense once seeing it all from the underlying core theme as mentioned earlier. I must therefore come back to one other facet I already brought to bear, which is there is just no question interpretations of this film’s ultimate goals is open as a whole, and I personally think that’s the BEAUTY of experimental and indie film, because it almost exclusively DARES to be off kilter and unorthodox. Joray himself stated “Against all expectations, it (this film, of course) has been selected and has received a few awards at smaller festivals around the world.” To me, this is such an inspirational TRIUMPH. Period.
If that doesn’t speak to the nucleus that indie filmmakers, their fearlessly bold choices, and so often incomparable thematic ventures orbit around…what does? With no dialogue present, it is up to Boillat must rely on all he is doing on screen to bring across the film’s path, which he very much does with deeply understated yet strangely ( and quietly) profound energy through his role as the man here. On a totally unassuming, casual stroll through the woods, the man happens upon a backpack that ends up sending him on a road to discovery, perhaps even revelation, as items both inside the sack and also along the woodland way he’s treading upon cast their own tales of relevancy for him, some utterly evident in their use, others not so much even if obvious in what the items themselves are.
It’s his reluctance to accept some of what he chooses to employ with certain objects while others he wishes to embrace, at least at first, soon leads him to realize he’s rather just keep things simple and move forward….until reality, quite literally in this film’s case during the finale, hits him again. Some might not want to acknowledge it, but there IS acting involved here, with subtlety yes, but still effectively performed to the precise degree this narrative requires, and Boillat does this well here. So, in total, “Usage unique” ends up wonderfully delivering its story with quirky resolve, a tapestry of humanity and the “tools” we have implemented from pre-historic eras to modernity, for good or ill, and their impact on the ongoing furtherance of our reality. Can we ever return to unambiguity? Or will we only keep sinking into all-encompassing and overwhelming convolution?
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
